Chaotic Harmony
by Emilou1985
Summary: An ancient spirit from the Princesses' past is set free after thousands of years. When he finds out the Elements of Harmony have been unleashed, he travels to Ponyville to use his own unqiue magic on Princess Twilight Sparkle.
1. Prelude

(Author's note: I would like my readers to know that this story takes place after the third season. This story also isn't influenced by the fourth season. I have yet to see a single episode of the fourth season, and probably won't for a while. My reason for this is because I don't want my story to change, which is what happened while I tried to plan it during the third season. Also, this story is going to be very character development heavy, and will include a few OCs. I do not consider any of my OCs to be Mary Sues or the male equivalent. The OCs are there for character and plot development.)

Chaotic Harmony

Prologue: Sunday Night

From her spot in the observation tower, Luna stared into the night sky. Normally, she would be gazing into the sparkling faces of hundreds of stars, twinkling from eons away. However, the stars were completely covered with dark, forbidding clouds that looked like gloomy, pregnant sheep. Rain fell down in sheets; the noise was constant like the pounding of hooves.

It wasn't usual for Luna to be in the observation tower. In times of danger, she'd be watching from her perch all night, but normally she only spent a few hours per sun-fall standing guard. Usually, a storm this big would often drive the Princess of the Night to her bed early, but Cloudsdale didn't schedule the downpour, which made Luna uneasy about the unforeseen storm. She had been watching the sky for over an hour now, and was using her connection to the night to sense the rain clouds. It was a large storm, moving from the direction of the mountains just North of Canterlot. It was large enough to cover both Canterlot and Ponyville. But other than that, it didn't seem any different than any other storm.

A yawn broke her concentration from the sky. Her eyes were tired and her hooves hurt. As the Princess of the Night, she liked to stay up late. The first five or six hours of the night was when she had the most energy, and was able to do her best work. But even a night owl like herself still liked to sleep at night so she could spend her day with her sister. Celestia had told her that running Equestria was a lot easier with Luna by her side. And a body that was used to going to sleep at a certain time liked the routine.

After probing the clouds one more time with her magic, Luna finally admitted to herself that it was just an ordinary storm, one that probably escaped the eyes of Cloudsdale. Quietly, she left the tower to go to her bed. On the way to her chamber, she passed her sister's. Guards stood on either side of the double doors. Luna nodded to them as she passed.

They bowed back, and returned to their stoney watch. They were respectful to her, but Luna knew what they thought of her. They were all suspicious of her, keeping an eye so she wouldn't become the dreaded Nightmare Moon again. The other ponies of the castle hid their fear of her very well, but Luna knew it was there. And it wouldn't go away.

As she continued to her room, a pair of pink ducks floated through the air barking like dogs; a reminder that she wasn't the only reformed villain that lived under this roof. Living with Discord had taken some time getting used to, especially the random chaos that Celestia allowed to run rampant in the castle, as long as it wasn't too big and didn't hurt anyone.

It had taken Luna a long time to get used to Discord, almost as long as it took her to get used to not being Nightmare Moon. She still wasn't entirely comfortable around Discord. He ruffled her feathers like no one else could, and he knew it. But she was learning not to react to his jests . She made it clear that she was no fun, so he didn't seek her out as often. He preferred to be around the guards or maids, who squealed and cried out in shock at his antics, and sometimes even laughed. He liked the ones that understood his jokes.

If it were Luna, she would have sent Discord far, far away. Just because he was reformed, didn't mean he should be allowed to live in the castle. Celestia was far too trusting and lenient on the draconequus. She believed strongly in second chances. Luna wouldn't be surprised if eventually her sister attempted to reform Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra. And then invite them to live in the castle! It sounded like a bad joke or comedy play.

Two guards were outside her chambers just like Celestia's. Luna wasn't sure if they were to protect her or guard her. She had to shake that thought from her head. Those kind of thoughts led to darkness, a different darkness than the type the night brought. It was this type of darkness that led to her fall. She had to remember that despite what others thought of her, Celestia loved her and trusted her. She was earning the trust of Equestria back, but it would take time.

She smiled at her guards and thanked them for their work before going into her chambers. The guards didn't react, so she couldn't tell if they were surprised by her words. But that did not matter; she couldn't force ponies to change their hearts.

Once in her chambers, she removed the black crown from her head and placed it on the bureau. In just one second, she was no longer a princess. She was just a tired mare, alone in her bedroom, ready to collapse. And that's just what she did in a not very princess-like way, cuddling up to a pillow and feeling the softness against her nose. Here in her bedroom, she was simply Luna. And in her dreams, a world she knew was her own, she was Luna as well. And she welcomed the comforting warmness of sleep, which she fell into immediately.

* * *

><p>Not far from Equestria, along the cliffs that the train from Canterlot to Ponyville ran along, water flowed in streams through loose rock and dirt. After years and years of water erosion, a large section of the mountain fell, most of it missing the train tracks. It fell far and fast, taking more and more of the mountain with it. Dirt, rock and water poured down like volcanic lava, covering and taking anything in its path. Lucky for the ponies of Equestria, this happened at night. There were no ponies taking a hike along the mountain passes. There was no train on the rail. Nobody was hurt. Only a few trails and a few feet of train tracks would have to be cleared the next day.<p>

But in a landslide like this, not only are things covered, but some things can be _uncovered_. On the mountain side, the falling rocks and mud cleared away a formation of smooth rocks stacked on each other to form an arc that was the opening of a cave, something that clearly wasn't natural. It was a small formation, only big enough for a single pony to walk in. Along the arc, a few runes were carved into the stone. Parts of the ruins were slightly faded, showing how old the writing was. But a large crack split the corner stone of the arc in half, a crack that looked fairly new, made by the falling rocks from the landslide.

A bolt of lightning scattered across the sky, and in the cave two red glowing orbs shone for a split second. From inside the cave, a form stretched and yawned.

"Mmmmmm, what a lovely nap," a sleepy, deep voice said to himself as he lazily shook out the years of dust from his fur. "I shall have to thank the princess for putting me so deep into the earth."

A white paw reached out of the cave and stepped into a muddy puddle. Instantly the paw is retracted, and the form inside the cave licked the offended limb until it was cleaned.

"On second thought, perhaps I'll catch a ride," the voice said grumpily. Again the paw is held outside of the cave. Before it could become too wet, a bolt of lightning struck right next to the cave.

When the lightning clears, the presence is no longer in the cave.

As if the heavens contained an angry Storm God, thunder and lightning ran rampant in the sky, over and over again. The clashing spectacle woke up many residents in Canterlot, causing them to look up at the sky in fear. Many even gasped or cried out as they saw a particularly large lightning bolt strike the Canterlot Castle. But after that, the sky calmed down, and they went back to sleep.

The bolt struck Princess Celestia's balcony, blackening the pristine stone. When the light abated, a cat sat in the middle of the scorch marks. He tried to look regal, but lost his confidence as he ran for shelter under the eaves. Once safe, the cat shook out his fur, and started to clean himself.

The cat wasn't particularly big or small for a cat. His fur was icy white save for the burnish orange markings on his face, ears, and tail. A cat lover would know him to be a flame-point Siamese. His fur was fluffy, and seemed to get longer the closer it was to his tail. His orange colored tail was a plume of beauty, which he waved in the air as he stood up. A picture of curiosity, he stalked up to the glass windows to look in.

"Oh, is that Celestia? All grown up now. And unless I miss my guess, Princess now. Does that mean _She_ is no longer around? What happened to the one who locked me away?" the cat asked the sleeping figure even though she could not hear him. "You've become beautiful after so many years, more than a couple thousand, I think. Have you forgotten me after all that time? And what of your sister? Has she already met her destiny?"

The cat sniffed the air, and followed an invisible trail across the balcony. He leaped onto the rail, and then to the next balcony over, a jump that no ordinary cat should have been able to make. He then made his way to the windows of the other balcony, looking in with bright, blue eyes.

"There you are, little Luna. Still looking so young, but already touched by darkness. Nobody else can see them, but I see the scars. Did you ever suspect that I helped you get those scars? I wish I was there to see you in all your glory," the cat said, and grinned. He didn't smile like most cats do, with their eyes closed in a content way. No, he opened his mouth and the corners of his mouth went up, showing his sharp canines.

"Perhaps I should send you a reminder of your old friend. I won't show myself just yet; there is much I need to find out about this new world I've woken up in," the cat told the sleeping figures.

As if he were digging, the cat scratched at the stone balcony, his tiny claws making scratches where he shouldn't have been able to. From his claws, magic the color of lightning shot out in all directions, but most of it went toward the two princesses. The cat watched the younger sister as the magic touched her.

Immediately Luna started to roll in her sleep. The magic affected her dreams, and it was as if she knew something was manipulating her realm as she twisted in her bedding.

The cat could feel his magic affecting others besides the princesses. His magic was unpredictable, and when he used it, he couldn't control where all of it went. But he wasn't bothered by that. His magic was unique, and very few could recognize it as it was. It was a magic that was as old as the earth. But in the same way that the magic was inside of him, he was the magic. He and the magic were the same. It was Chaos Magic, and he shared the name.

Another sniff in the air, and Chaos was on the move again. This time, he jumped down a story to a smaller balcony, following his nose that had found yet another familiar scent. Looking through the window, he smiled again.

"Has so much time passed, yet things are still the same? Discord, my friend. Never would I think that you would still be in the palace," Chaos said to the draconequus.

Discord was as much asleep as the two princesses, his room just as much a fun house as he had tried to turn Equestria into. But there was something restrained about Discord. It wasn't the same Discord from the past.

"Here I thought you'd still be sowing your lies, but I can see that the fair princess have gone and tamed yon beast," Chaos said. His voice had no sorrow in the tone, only intrigue. "I would have loved to see that. I would show myself to you, my friend, but I don't dare. I have plans that I don't want revealed, and I don't know how loyal to me you'd be."

The cat moved on, jumping to another balcony, and then to window sills. One window sill he came to was in front of a stained glass panel. Chaos merely glanced at it before moving through the glass into the castle. Once inside, he walked up and down the hallway, inspecting each stained glass that told a story.

"So much has happened without my help. And it seems that the Elements of Harmony were found in my absence," Chaos said, sitting in front of a stained glass window that showed six ponies attaining the elements. "Very interesting, but time has been moving far too slowly. Much still needs to happen. But there is much that I do not know."

The cat turned his head. At one end of the hall was Celestia's throne room where she conducted business. On the other end, where Chaos was looking, was the library. The cat turned away from the library. He knew that everything he needed to know could be found in books, but it was not the way of cats to read. Libraries were good for taking naps or sharpening claws, but cats only liked books if someone with a pleasing voice was kind enough to read to them to sleep.

Chaos' left ear flickered as if a bug landed on it, and he turned his head to the last stained glass in the line. It had the pony who was in possession of the Element of Magic. In the other windows, she was a unicorn. In this one, she was an alicorn.

Once again, Chaos grinned. This was by far the most interesting development that he had ever seen. A magically induced alicorn!

"If only I could have witnessed that," Chaos said to himself, purring with satisfaction. "So much has happened without my help. Yet, so much still needs to happen. Fate is moving far too slow. I must acquaint myself with these holders of the Elements of Harmony; destiny isn't through with them."

The flame-point Siamese crouched down on the ornate rug in the hall and wiggled his butt in the fashion cats do when about to pounce on a mouse. Gracefully, he leaped up at the stained glass of the alicorn and passed completely through it. Once his body was completely outside, lightning struck him and he was gone.

Moving through the storm as random charged particles, Chaos traveled to where his magic was attracted to his opposite: the welder of the Element of Harmonious Magic. The lightning touched down just yards away from a large tree that was hollowed out into a domicile. White and orange fur stuck out all over from the electrical charge, but quickly laid flat as the rain soaked in.

Chaos, less than happy about where he ended up, ran for cover in a less than dignified manner. Before he could even look around, he started to clean himself once he was secure under the eaves of the tree house. After his tongue had done its job, the blue, cross-eyed gaze of Chaos swept over the town he landed in.

"It must not be coincidence that the wielders of the Elements had been gathered in this exact place," he said to himself. His eyes wandered to a banner that was strung between two houses that advertised, "The Fire and Water Ball: Saturday." "Coincidence, indeed. If I didn't know better, I'd say my powers continued to do my work during my captivity. Should I leave the rest up to chance? How boring would that be."

Scratching at the ground, the magical feline sent another set of chaotic waves in every direction, focusing on the six that he sensed like six torches in the night. However, he frowned as his magic didn't obey him, scattering all over and only touching a few of the holders of Harmony.

"Hmmm, not much of an effect," he told himself disapprovingly. "My powers must not be potent enough. I must rest." He sniffed the ground he was sitting on to check to see if it was dry and comfortable enough. Satisfied, he curled up, yawned and tucked his nose under his feathery tale. The morning would come quickly, and he was needed.

* * *

><p>The first to be affected by the waves of magic felt it in her dreams. They brought back old memories of the past; a time before the responsibilities of a nation rested on her shoulders. They were bitter and sweet, causing her to tense and finally wake up in a sweat.<p>

"My dream. It felt like. . . ," Celestia said once she calmed down. Her eyes focused, and she saw herself in the mirror. ". . . magic. . . Discord." Careful not to become entangled in her bedding, she unfolded her long legs and ran out of the room. A few seconds after she had, Luna burst out of her own room, looking just as confused as Celestia felt.

"Sister, you felt it, too," Luna guessed, almost looking relieved.

"Then it wasn't a mere dream," Celestia said hanging her head. She had hoped that he had changed.

Luna snorted through her nostrils. "I swear I'll wring Discord's neck. I knew he couldn't stay good for long."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Celestia defended the draconequus. "He is allowed some use of magic."

"Not that strong," Luna whispered with narrowed eyes.

As the two princesses moved to the lower floor, two of the guards followed them. Luna ordered two more to go check on the Elements of Harmony.

"We can't be too careful," Luna told her sister.

"I think you are over reacting," Celestia sighed.

"And you are too soft on him," Luna huffed. "We never should have left him as a statue."

"Just as I should have left you in the moon," Celestia said in a patient voice. The elder sister had said the comment in defense, and she regretted it as soon as it left her mouth. Sometimes Luna could be so moody that Celestia couldn't help but make a snappy remark, but this time she felt she went too far. She looked at her dark sister out of the corner of her violet eyes, trying to read the stern face of Luna. But Luna's countenance didn't indicate that she reacted from the comment. Just as Celestia summoned her voice to apologize, they arrived at Discord's chamber.

Before Celestia could stop her younger sister, Luna opened the double doors roughly with her magic, the wood banging against the walls loudly.

Giving out a girlish scream, the draconequus sat up straight in bed with his blanket pulled up against his chin. "Perverts!" he yelled at the intruding sister.

Luna lit a candle with her magic, and the two sisters could see a devilish smile on Discord's misshapen face.

"Enough of your asinine jokes, Discord. What did you just do?" Luna accused, her face set in a frown.

Discord shrugged. "Well, I was sleeping, then you burst in and I did this:" Once again, he pulled his blanket up as if it were a shield and he screamed.

Celestia stepped in front of Luna, her face much more composed. "Discord, just a while ago, we felt strange magic that affected our dreams," she explained in her princess-like way. "It felt a lot like your magic. Did you do something just now?"

Discord let go of his blanket so that he could place a claw along side his mouth. His blanket immediately turned into two robins that flew around his room upside-down, which fit it with the rest of the decor of his room. Along with staying in the palace, Discord was allowed to decorate his bed chamber how he liked, which he did with gusto. His room never looked the same day to day.

"Interesting," Discord said, tapping his claw against his snaggle-tooth. "And this magic affected your dreams? What did you dream about?"

Celestia looked as if she were going to tell him, but Luna interrupted.

"That's personal!"

Discord gave Luna a knowing smile, as if he already knew.

Celestia gave them both dark looks. "So, you had nothing to do with it?"

Discord summoned up a cup of tea that was as big as a pig, and dunked a giant donut into it. "As much as I'd liked to take credit for it, unfortunately, I have no power over dreams. My power is over the unnatural," he said as he took a big bite of his pastry. "You might want to talk to your sister. That's her domain."

Luna looked as if she were about to growl, but her older sister touched her leg in order to calm her down.

"He might be lying," Luna whispered to her sister.

The draconequus heard the comment, and chose not to react too harshly to Luna's bad mood. Instead, he spoke to them both. "What reason do you have to _not _believe me? I've kept my word. I've been the model of obedience. Besides, does this really sound like something that I would do?"

Celestia thought about that, and she concluded that he was right. It wasn't flashy enough for Discord. He liked to sign all his work. Besides, Celestia was sure the magic felt like someone else that she knew, but she couldn't recall a face or name.

"He's right, Luna. This isn't Discord's style," Celestia said, and turned around. "I'm sorry we bothered you."

"Ah, you're leaving already," Discord said with a sad face. "I was just about to make you some coco. I even have marshmallows."

As Luna was about to leave, a marshmallow the size of a foal appeared in her path and she fell on it. Glaring at Discord, she elegantly picked herself up and left. She felt justified in slamming his doors closed with her magic as she left.

"What do we do now, sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head as if she were thinking of something else and wasn't listening. "Oh, I suppose you should go back to bed, Luna. It was probably just a bad dream." Then the alicorn of the day walked away, her guards following after her.

Luna narrowed her eyes after her sister, suspicious that Celestia truly didn't believe it was a dream. "That's not the way to her bedroom. Where is she off to?" Still feeling grumpy and too awake to return to bed, Luna decided to go back to the observation tower. Even though the storm was still raging, she wanted to feel the night air.

Back in his room, Discord watched out through the crack in his doors as the two princesses left. Their behavior was very strange, but they weren't the only ones. There was definitely a hint of strange magic in the air.

Moving to his window, the draconequus opened one halfway, the wind driving some of the rain inside. Sniffing along the ledge, Discord was able to pick up a scent. The scent brought up memories of an old friend. He smiled to himself, and slowly closed the window.

_Perhaps I should stay close to the princesses, _he thought to himself as he cuddled up to his pillows that had also been turned into marshmallows as big as the one Luna fell on. _Things around here are about to get interesting._

* * *

><p>In her tree, Twilight Sparkle slept soundly despite the sound of the raging storm. For the first couple of weeks of having her new wings, she had a hard time sleeping. Either her wings were causing her back to kink, or she slept on top of them and they fell asleep. She spent many restless nights massaging out the painful pins and needles from the feathered appendages. But then she learned to start sleeping on her back with the wings folded up, or using pillows to give herself more support. It hadn't been like sleeping on a bed of feathers like she initially thought, but it wasn't bad. But she had lost sleep for a good amount of two weeks. It was no wonder Rainbow Dash preferred to sleep on clouds.<p>

A loud knock reverberated through the home.

Spike grumbled a little in his sleep, curled his tail tighter around him and went back to snoring.

The purple alicorn only raised an eyelid for a moment before going back to sleep. The second time the knock came, she moaned before getting up.

"Spike, there's someone at the door," she said sleepily and nudged the basket where the baby dragon rested.

Spike put his pillow over his head. "Ignore it. They'll go away soon," he murmured.

"It might be an emergency," Twilight Sparkle said, and nudged his basked again.

Together, pony and dragon went down the stairs slowly. Yawning in unison, Twilight Sparkle opened the door with her magic.

"Cheerilee? Is everything alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked with concern.

"Oh, I came to return the book I borrowed last week," Cheerilee said as she stepped in. She had on a rain coat, but she still left mud and water on the wooden floor. "It was so good, I stayed up all night reading it. I hope you don't mind if I return it, and get another one. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up," Twilight Sparkle said with a sigh. She waited patiently for Cheerilee to pick out a new book.

All this time, Spike glared at his friend as he grudgingly recording which books Cherrilee checked in and out of the roster.

"Thank you so much," the smiling pony said as she put the book in her knapsack. "Have a good night."

"What's left of it," Spike grumbled.

As Twilight Sparkle made sure the door was secure against the storm, she told Spike, "Don't be such a Grumpy Gus. It's nice to finally see Ponyville become interested in books."

A few months ago, Twilight Sparkle had organized a summer reading contest to promote more reading. She was even able to get Mayor Mare to promote the contest. It had been a large success, more than doubling the librarian patrons. Even after the contest had ended, ponies continued to flock to the library for more material.

Unfortunately, a lot of the ponies didn't respect the idea of "business hours." Being a small town, everypony knew everypony. If one needed to buy something once a store was closed, it was just a matter of talking to the proprietor. Automatically, they thought of the library the same way, especially since Twilight Sparkle lived in the library. Cheerilee's late night visit was unusual, but occasionally ponies would be knocking at her door at the break of dawn. A few strange ones wouldn't even knock; they'd walk right in whether she was home or not. Once she had been taking a shower, and when she came out, three stallions were browsing her bookshelves. She was very embarrassed about that one, even if they didn't know.

"I know that some ponies are a little more excited than others about books, but I can't yell at anypony for wanting to read."

"And what's up with that?" Spike asked with a raised eye ridge. "Aren't most of these books about magic. What's so interesting about that?"

Twilight Sparkle glared at her assistant before she answered. "You're right, Spike. This library is great for a student like me, but not sufficient for a budding town like Ponyville. I don't have enough variety, and soon they're going to want more. Spike, I need you to write a letter."

"To the princess?" he asked as he grabbed some paper, ink and a quill.

"No, to Mayor Mare."

* * *

><p>Not far from where Twilight Sparkle was composing her letter, another unicorn was affected by the strange magic that was making waves in Ponyville.<p>

Sweetie Belle, while sleeping in her bed at her sister's house, started to toss and turn in her sleep once the chaos waves passed by her. As if they were drawn by her immature horn, the magic soaked into the spiral bone. Immediately her horn started to glow and sparks jumped from it. The unusual sensation woke up the filly, who was wrapped up in her blanket and tumbled to the ground.

At the moment she woke up, her horn started magicking objects all over the room. Some levitated up into the air, and danced in circles near the ceiling. A few of Sweetie Belle's possessions started to glow much like her horn. Others flung themselves down to the floor, which caused a few to break from contact. This caused the filly to scream and try to escape back into bed, but her tangled blanket prevented her from doing so right away.

After minutes of witnessing her new magic going out of control, there was a knock on Sweetie Belle's door.

"Sweetie Belle, is everything alright?" Rarity asked from the hall.

The young filly gasped, not wanting Rarity to see the eerie scene, and tried to think of something to make her sister go away. But before she could reply, the door was opened and the light turned on.

Just as sudden as it began, the magic ended. The levitating objects fell and everything else stopped moving and glowing.

"What's going on in here?" Rarity demanded, looking very cross at the state of her younger sister's room. "What have you been doing?"

A bolt of lightning flashed across the window, which gave Sweetie Belle a quick excuse.

"I was having a bad dream, and the lightning woke me up," the small unicorn pipped up, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "I was really scared, and I guess I ran around in the dark."

"Are you alright, Sweetie?" Rarity asked, going to her sister's bedside. "Do you want to sleep in my bed?"

Sweetie Belle did, but she did not want whatever happened before happen to Rarity's room. Also, she hadn't slept with Rarity for a long time now, and felt really childish that Rarity had suggested it, even if she was tempted to say yes.

"No," Sweetie Belle answered quickly, her voice going up an octave in her haste to decline her sister's request. "Um. . . no, I think I'll be okay now."

"Alright, Sweetie Belle. Then good-night," Rarity said, leaving the room.

"Um. . .Rarity?"

"Yes."

"Could you leave the light on? Please?" the younger unicorn asked, looking a little unsure of herself.

"Of course," Rarity answered, and shut the door gently.

Sweetie Belle waited as her sister's hoof steps faded away before jumping out of bed and pulling out a slim notebook from between the mattresses. The notebook was decorated with flowery drawings and stylized letters saying: "Sweetie Belle's Diary. Keep out!" Laying down on her rug, she opened the notebook up to where she stopped writing last. Half the page was already filled with lyrics, which had crossed off words and side notes with arrows pointing to different sections of the poem.

With her favorite pen in her mouth, the young filly continued down the page, adding to the previous lyrics, and occasionally correcting herself or adding ideas to the side. Eventually her inner tremors calmed down, and she felt once again safe and secure in her room. After a few pages of work, her large eyes started to droop and she felt asleep with her cheek against her diary.

* * *

><p>Sweetie Belle wasn't the only one that was having trouble sleeping that night. Many residence of Ponyville were affected by the chaotic magic that ran rampant through the town. It even made it to the edge of the Everfree forest, where one pegasus preferred to live far from the hustle and bustle of the town.<p>

In her modest home, surrounded by the creatures she loved and adopted, Fluttershy was sleeping peacefully until the wild magic invaded her dreams. Images of glowing eyes and sharp teeth interrupted her usual dreams, causing the sleeping pony to tense up in her sleep and whimper. In her dream, the glowing eyes were red with reptilian slits for pupils and the teeth glowed an unearthly green, saliva dripping from the incisors. The image was so terrifying that Fluttershy ran in her dream as fast as she could. In reality, her body twitched constantly, and her legs moved back and forth slowly as her body tried to imitate her dream.

Eventually, her mind became so convinced that the dream was real that she climbed to her feet and started running. The pegasus didn't make it very far. After a few steps, her hooves tripped over Angel-Bunny's cushioned bed, and she fell flat onto her face, which pulled her out of her nightmare.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said to herself once she realized that she had been dreaming, and she was no longer in her bed. She slowly looked around and saw she was now on top of Angel-Bunny's bed, and could see an angry white head glaring at her near her belly.

"My goodness. I'm so very sorry Angel," Fluttershy apologized as she carefully stood up so she wouldn't hurt her pet any more. "Are you alright?" she asked as she nosed the soft creature.

Angel-Bunny only pushed her face away before angrily snuggling back up in his bed to go back to sleep.

Relieved that she hadn't hurt her companion, Fluttershy looked around her home. Many of the other creatures that lived with her were also awake, starring at her with wide eyes.

"I'm alright. It was nothing. Go back to sleep," Fluttershy told them all with a small smile. She went over and nuzzled a few of the animals that didn't immediately return to their beds. After seeing that her house was back to normal, she went back to her own bed. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get the mental image out of her mind. Sleep was beyond her for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>Even the Everfree Forest wasn't safe from the random chaotic magic, although by this time, it had weakened a lot. The last that it affected was the zebra who chose to live in the wild woods all by herself. She, too, was asleep, and immediately opened her eyes once the chaos magic was at her doorstep.<p>

"What is this magic that makes me leap? Who out there dares to disturb my sleep?" she spoke to herself as she often did. Living by herself, she had developed the habit of talking in rhyme to entertain herself, and it just stuck even when she had made friends in Ponyville.

But just as she sensed the magic, it vanished. Walking to her window, she studied the forest with her keen blue eyes, trying to see anything in the darkness. However, it was near impossible to see in the Everfree Forest at night especially in such a violent storm. Zecora knew just how dangerous it could be to go out at night.

With no other choice, Zecora turned back to her home and started to prepare a morning tea. She lit her caldron fire and prepared the herbs she liked to drink. She knew it would be near impossible to go back to sleep with such a mystery starring her in the face. Instead she settled herself down to spend the rest of the night meditating to pass the time until sun-up.


	2. Chapter 1: Sunday

(Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait for those who are watching this story. I was worried that this chapter might be considered too slow, but I have a lot to set up in later chapters. I have a lot of foretelling, but don't worry, all questions should be answered by the end of the story. Please let me know what you think of it. Thanks for reading XD)

Chaotic Harmony

By Emilou AKA Hatashi Kitty

Chapter One: Sunday

The raging storm of the night before weakened as it passed over Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. Once dawn came, the last of the clouds were on the horizon as if they were fleeing the sun. This early in the morning, very few ponies were up and about, especially after such a storm. Sweet Apple Acres, no matter the weather, was already a bustle of activity as the residents worked through their routines.

One of the neighbors of the farm was also up, even if it wasn't routine for her.

Fluttershy, once the sun was peaking over the horizon, was out of bed. She was sluggish in her movements, and dark circles lay under her turquoise eyes. Rather than venturing back into the dream world, she had spent the last half of the night wide away, taking security in the sounds of her animals' breathing. Now in the light of day, the nightmare had disappeared, and she was more than ready to start her day despite her fatigue.

She put a kettle for some tea on the stove before heading outside to feed her forest friends. As she walked down the pathway, her legs trembled as she remembered the glowing eyes and teeth from her dream. As if it could sense her mood, a squirrel scurried up to her and hugged her front leg.

"Aw, thank you, little friend," Fluttershy said, feeling her uneasiness wan from the contact.

While she was passing out seeds, bowls of vegetables and grains to the animals, Angel hopped up behind her. He patted her back leg rapidly. When Fluttershy looked down, he pointed urgently at the forest.

"Do you want to go for a walk, Angel?" she asked softly. "We'll go after breakfast. I have some yummy carrots just for you."

Angel-Bunny's face scrunched up in a frown. He tapped on Fluttershy's leg harder and pointed to the woods once more.

"Please, be patient," Fluttershy said, now looking at her pet worriedly. She was thinking that it was a bit early in the day for the rabbit to be this grumpy.

The frown on the white bunny's face deepened as he was ignored once more. This time, he kicked Fluttershy to gain her attention, and pointed at the Everfree Forest while hopping up and down.

The yellow pegasus lowered her head demurely as she relented. "Okay, I guess we can go now."

Following the small lapin to the edge of the woods, Fluttershy wondered what had gotten into her pet. Usually he wasn't so demanding of mysterious things, but she figured it must be important. When they arrived at the boarder of the Everfree Forest, Angel stopped and pointed purposefully into the branches of the nearest tree.

It took Fluttershy a while to realize what it was that Angel was gesturing to, but when she did, she gasped and smiled brightly.

* * *

><p>On a hill just outside of Ponyville, another early riser stood overlooking the small town. Equipped with her scooter, the tiny pegasus stretched out her feathery appendages.<p>

"Come on, wings. Don't fail me now," Scootaloo spoke to herself. She readied her scooter with her wings stretched out before setting off down the hill. As she gained speed, she fluttered her wings rapidly. When she reached optimum speed, she jumped away from her two-wheeled vehicle. From the momentum, she became airborne for a few precious moments. A thrill of exhilaration coursed through Scootaloo's body. She especially loved the feel of the wind through her magenta mane.

But the sensation quickly disappeared as she felt gravity pull her back to the ground. Scootaloo landed heavily onto the earth, tripping and rolling down the rest of the hill. She was lucky that she didn't run into any trees or rocks on the way down. When she came to rest at the bottom, she was on her back staring up at the sky.

"Ouch," she said quietly as if it were an afterthought. Sadly, she looked down at her wings that were stretched out to her sides. "What happened wings? You've grown so much. You must be big enough to fly."

Only a while ago, Scootaloo thought that she had the stubbiest wings in all of Equestria. Even compared to other pegasi fillies, she had very small wings. But in the past month, she had gone through such a growth spurt, bamboo would have envied her. It wasn't easy for her wings to grow; the pain that came with the spurt had made her wings and back hurt so much that she hadn't been sleeping well. But recently the ache disappeared; after measuring, she found that her wings had grown twice their size.

Despite her family cautioning her that it was too early to try out her new wings, Scootaloo was determined to fly as soon as she could. Even the warnings that she could injure herself if she tried to fly too soon didn't diminish her excitement.

But as she lay in the grass, she was worried that her family was right.

"Hey, that was some crash."

Recognizing the voice, Scootaloo stood up and looked around. After a while, she spotted the blue pegasus hoovering nearby. "Hey, Rainbow Dash. You were watching that?" Scootaloo asked a little embarrassed.

"Every second," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. "You've grown a lot, squirt, but are you sure you're ready?"

The small pegasus flexed her wings tentatively to test for injury, and then folded them against her body. "I think so. I mean, my wings have grown a lot, and I don't think I can wait."

Rainbow Dash hoovered closer to the filly and laughed. "You were just as impatient as I was at your age," she admitted with a bright smile. "Try learning how to glide first. It'll help make your wings strong."

"Glide? Right!" Scootaloo replied, looking determined to try out her hero's advice. "Thanks a lot, Rainbow Dash."

"Any time squirt," the blue pegasus said with a salute, and flew away. She did a few flips and a barrel roll to show off for her number one fan before heading to Ponyville. She was going to meet up with her friends at the Daisy Days Café, and wanted to look at the new goggles at the racing store before the engagement.

Since she was flying low to the ground, a sign caught her eye. It wasn't one of the many signs that was advertising the "Fire and Water Ball" which were on every tree, building and pole in town. It was something very new. Snatching the flier and ripping it away from the nails that held it to the tree, Rainbow Dash quickly read it. When she had finished, she sped-read it again to make sure, and gasped.

* * *

><p>Pulling away her silky sleep mask with her magic, Rarity lazily climbed out of bed and stretched with a quiet yawn. Right away, she headed to her full body mirror, magically-manipulated beauty implements floating toward her.<p>

"Oh, Opal. How can such a fabulous pony look so wretched in the morning?" she said, unaware that the cat still lay in her bed, peacefully sleeping in. "It's a good thing nobody will see me in such a state."

As if it were planned, the bedroom door opened, banging into the adjoining wall and startling the unicorn enough that her beauty products were thrown all over. There was the sound of a cat scream as an eye-lash curler nearly impaled Opalescence.

"Good morning, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she walked in.

Rarity composed herself, magicking a comb through her mane nervously. "Sweetie Belle. Honey. Please don't use that volume so early in the morning.

"I brought you your mail," the younger unicorn said. Balanced on her back was a small stack of letters which she took to her older sister.

"That was so sweet of you. Thank you so much," Rarity said. "I've been expecting letters from ponies in Canterlot since the Ball will be in Ponyville this year." She used her magic to shift through the letters as she applied her make-up. After a few moments of primping and reading, she noticed that the filly was still there. "Ah . . . is there something else, Sweetie Belle? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" She remembered the nightmare her sister had last night, and wondered if she wanted to talk.

The young unicorn's eyes wandered the room until they came to rest at her own hooves. "Yeah, I kind of have this problem. . ."

"Really? Well, that's what big sisters are for," Rarity said as she tossed away another spam letter. The next envelope caught her attention when she read who it was addressed from. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, you may have noticed that I've done a lot of growing lately. . .," Sweetie Belle started out, glancing at herself in the mirror. It was especially true of her horn, which had grown a few inches and itched insanely all the time.

Rarity quickly tore open the intriguing letter, only half-paying attention to her sister. "Uh huh, yes," she said absently.

"I was wondering if. . . When you were my age, did anything. . . strange. . . ," Sweetie Belle continued on slowly. She was feeling nervous because it was possible that she was the only unicorn in Equestria to have a horn that went out of control. Her nerves were so bad, she felt her horn start to work it's uncontrollable magic. However, both magic and words stopped when Rarity interrupted her with a squeal.

"Oh my hooves. This is amazing!" Rarity shrieked as she danced in place. "I can't believe this."

"What is is?" Sweetie Belle asked, her troubles forgotten. She tried to look at the letter, but Rarity pulled it away as she trotted out of her room. Sweetie Bell followed. "What's going on?"

The elder sister moved into her sewing room, her horn moving bolts of clothing, gems and feathers all over. "I hope I have enough material. I'll need to find some more sapphires. And I'm running out of thread. Sweetie Belle, I must run to the store." A piece of paper and a quill hovered in the air and started to write out a list. "Would you like to come?"

Sweetie Belle's head lowered a bit. "Sure, but about my problem. . ."

"Oh, there's so much to do," Rarity said as she continued to move around the room, not listening to her sister any more. "So please hurry, Sweetie Belle."

With a heavy sigh, Sweetie Belle followed her sister out of the room.

* * *

><p>A few minutes before she was to meet her friends at the café, Twilight Sparkle was walking out of her house with her assistant at her tail.<p>

"Oh, I can't wait to tell everypony the good news," Twilight Sparkle said more to herself than to Spike. "I can't believe that Mayor Mare already responded to my letter. That was very quick for her."

"I told you, she has some ulterior motive," Spike said as he closed the door behind him.

As the two continued to talk, a flame-point Siamese walked up to the purple pony and started rubbing against her leg causing her to stumble and finally stop. He twined between her legs, his feathery tail tickling her belly.

"Shoo cat," Twilight Sparkle said gently, lifting a hoof to wave at the feline, who didn't take notice. Then she turned to Spike to say, "And what can she gain? She is doing is a service to Ponyville, and she still has my vote. Not all politicians are as sneaky as you think."

Spike rolled his eyes.

As she started down the road again, Twilight Sparkle was careful to not step on the strange cat that appeared at her doorstep. She didn't even look back, thinking that the Siamese would be left behind. Little did she know, the cat kept his crossed-eyed face on the pony as he followed her.

Right as the clock struck noon, Twilight Sparkle walked to the outdoor table at Daisy Days Café where two of her friends stood. Fluttershy, as always, was early to her engagements, and Pinky Pie was right next to her with a big smile. Within seconds, Apple Jack had joined them as well.

"Rainbow Dash is late, as usual," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked at the nearest clock. It had just turned one minute past the time they had agreed. Her friends rolled their eyes at her strict sense of punctuality.

"I'm surprised Rarity isn't here either. That's not like her," Apple Jack added as she picked up a menu. When she did, she glanced down at Twilight Sparkle's hooves and spotted a fluffy orange tail. "Nice cat. Where did you get her?" To Apple Jack, all cats were female.

As the alicorn looked down at the smiling cat, she frowned. "It's not mine. It was near my door step when I went out, and must have followed me."

Fluttershy couldn't resist at the word "cat". She was quickly at Twilight Sparkle's side, picking up the feline. "Oh, he's such a beautiful boy, yes, you are. Look at those big, blue eyes. He's gorgeous. Does he belong to one of your neighbors?"

The purple alicorn shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen him before."

"Sorry I'm late, girls," a fatigued voice called from close-by. "I'm having a tiny fashion problem, and I don't have much time. I might have to cut out early today, if that's alright."

"That's a tiny problem?" Pinky Pie asked, her eyes widening at the sight of Rarity. She had a giant smile on her face as she added. "I'd hate to see a ginormous problem."

As Rarity walked into the outdoor café, she was followed by a dozen bags laden with bolts of fabric, feathers and gems, as well as a frowning Sweetie Belle, who was carrying four more bags. All the shopping bags were piled nearby, which disturbed a few other costumers.

"So, what is this 'tiny' problem of yours?" Spike asked, eying the bags.

"Oh, it's fantastic news. And it has to do with the Fire and Water Ball this Saturday," Rarity said, her voice rising to a squeal as her excitement increased. "I can't wait to tell you. Where's Rainbow Dash? She must also hear my glorious news."

"Late as usual," Twilight Sparkle said gruffly. "But once Rarity is finished with her news, I have some terrific news as well."

"Terrific news. I love terrific news," Pinky Pie said, feeding off her friends' excitement. By her body language, her friends could guess that she was about to jump onto the table. "It's so much better than just plain-old news."

From where she sat with the unknown cat, Fluttershy had been listening to the whole conversation. As she stroked the feline so he was purring loudly, she shyly added, "Uh, I also have some good news, too." She gave her friends a small smile, and looked down at her hooves. "It's probably not as good as Rarity's or Twilight's, but it's something I'd like to share."

"More good news! This is the best day ever," Pinky Pie shouted, giddily shaking. "Somebody tell me. The suspense is killing me."

"Look, there's Rainbow Dash," Spike said, who had been watching the sky for the last pony friend. "Good, now maybe we can order some food."

"You said it, Spike," Apple Jack agreed, nudging the dragon. "I'm so hungry, I could out eat a dragon."

"Don't bet on it," Spike answered the challenging with a smile.

As was Rainbow Dash's way, she made a nose dive toward the café table and quickly stopped a few feet in front of it. The wind from her descent disturbed more customers than Rarity's bags did.

"Okay, I'm here. Now the party can begin," Rainbow Dash said proudly, landing gracefully between Fluttershy and Apple Jack.

"Good, because Fluttershy, Rarity and I have some great news to share with everypony," Twilight Sparkle said with a smile. "And if someone doesn't spill the beans soon, Pinky's going to explode."

All looked to the pink pony who was shaking with extra energy.

"Hah, your good news isn't going to compare to what I've got to say," Rainbow Dash boasted with half-closed eyes. "My news is so awesome, it'll make you explode."

Pinky Pie's eyes grew so wide, they threatened to take over her entire face. "Wow!" she said in awe.

At this time, they quickly ordered their meal, trying to keep the party-loving earth pony intact as the waitress took down their requests. Once she was gone, the friends gathered closer to the circular table

"So, who's going to tell their good news first?" Spike asked, jumping right to the point before anyone else could.

"ME!" Rainbow Dash shouted and slammed a piece of paper on the table. "Prepare to explode as you look at this baby. It's an announcement that the Wonderbolts are holding official try-outs for new members. Isn't that great? This is my chance to finally be part of the Wonderbolts. It's long over due, in my opinion."

Rarity magicked the flier up so she could read it. "This is amazing. My contacts in Canterlot told me their last try-outs were almost five years ago. I have also heard some scuttlebutt that one of them may be kicked off the team for bad behavior." Rarity put a leg up to her mouth and giggled, keeping back the most juiciest part of the gossip. She didn't want to ruin Rainbow Dash's opinion of her heroes.

Apple Jack grabbed the poster away from Rarity so she could read it as well. "It says the preliminaries are tomorrow. And they're bein' held in a field near Sweet Apple Acres. I can set up an apple stand. We might make a little money from this."

"And the best part is, they're having the finals on Saturday morning, right before the Fire and Water Ball," the blue pegasus said with a big smile. "There will be such a huge crowd. What better way to kick off the ball than a show from me?"

Pinky Pie started hopping in place. "This'll be super. It'll be like the contest in Cloudsdale, only we won't be on clouds. I should make up a song just for you. It should go something like:" and right here, she leaped onto the table with some flags in her hooves and danced while she sang, "Dash. Dash. Rainbow Dash. She's the best. She's the fastest from east to west. Nobody else is. . ."

A blue hoof was shoved into Pinky Pie's mouth before she could say another word.

"That's great, Pinky. But not the kind of help I had in mind," Rainbow Dash grumbled, and gently pushed her friend off the table. "I was actually hoping that you guys could help me to practice. Who knows what Spitfire will throw at me, so I need new and fresh stunts that will blow the Wonderbolts' minds. I only have until tomorrow to come up with something nobody else has."

"Of course we'll help you, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy quickly agreed. "We'll do our best to help out. You're sure to be picked to be a Wonderbolt."

Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest, showing that she wasn't too worried about failing.

As if she were waiting for the chance to jump in, Rarity took a noisy breath as she jumped in. "And speaking of the Fire and Water Ball, as you know, it is traditional for a fashion show to be held a few days before the ball to show off the best dresses in all of Equestria. And guess who is picking the list of fashion designers?"

There seemed to be a combined "Who?" that came from the group.

"Hoity-Toity, of course," Rarity said in her stuffy way. "He's the most obvious choice."

"And how do you know that?" Apple Jack asked, smiling in a sneaky way. "Are you on familiar terms with him?"

"No, nothing like that," Rarity denied, modestly. "Although he has featured some of my dresses in his magazines."

At this time, their food arrived, and their conversation paused as the waitress served them. Once she was gone, the ponies leaned closer. Obviously, what Rarity was about to say might not be common knowledge at this point.

"So, what's your good news, Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle inquired. "Come on, spit it out."

"Well, the fashion show is going to be here in Ponyville on Thursday, just a few days before the Fire and Water Ball. It's going to be held at City Hall. I received a letter from Hoity-Toity this morning explaining all this, and he wants me to be one of the fashion designers."

The ponies were excited by that, gushing over the idea of Rarity's dresses side-by-side with Equestria's elite designers. But Twilight Sparkle, the ever practical one, saw the downside to the situation.

"That doesn't give you that much time to prepare for the show," the alicorn observed with a frown. "Will you be ready in time?"

Rarity looked a little fatigued at this reminder. "I hope so. You see, I wasn't Hoity-Toity's first pick. One of his scheduled designers canceled on him, and I was next in line. It was kind of a lucky stroke for me. He also wants me to be the hostess. Which means I need decorations, programs, ushers, refreshments, not to mention I might need some models. It's a lot of work in such little time, especially since I don't have enough dresses finished at this time."

Pinky Pie, hyped up on the drama Rarity had added to the situation, jumped in. "I can help you out with the decorations. A fashion show is, after all, just a posh party."

Applejack nodded in agreement. "And Sweet Apple Acres can cater. I'll have to look up a few recipes to make that fancy food those folks in Canterlot like, but we can manage it."

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy added that they'd be there for Rarity to help out any way they could.

Rarity looked a little teary eyed at the support she was given. "Thank you so much, everypony. I know with your help, I can do it. And of course, I'll need models."

Most of the ponies smiled at that, remembering the dresses Rarity made just for them for the Grand Galloping Gala. If anyone could pull this off, their creative friend could.

"You should be a model, too, Rarity," Spike said, his eyes a bit dreamy as he imagined the white unicorn going down the catwalk.

"That's sweet, Spike, but as the hostess, I'll have to stay backstage in case something goes wrong," Rarity waved off the compliment. "But I'll definitely need you, Spikey-wikey."

Those words made the baby dragon's heart skip a bit. He had been waiting for Rarity to say that to him for a long time.

"Your writing font is fabulous. I'll need you to make copies of the program," the unicorn went on, oblivious of her earlier words. "And with you in a tuxedo, you'd be a stunning usher."

"Yeah, I can do that," Spike readily volunteered, intoxicated by the compliments.

The one pony that wasn't showing excitement for Rarity's news was leaning her head against her hoof in a board pose. "That sounds sooooo amazingly boring. I think I'll pass," Rainbow Dash said grumpily. But when she saw her friends glaring at her, she changed her tune quickly. "That is, if it was anyone but you, Rarity."

Rarity smiled knowingly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, darling, but I will need someone to be a valet. With your speed, you should be able to park a carriage in no time."

The multicolored maned pony perked up at that and smiled. "I have my carriage license. Sure, I could do that."

"Again, thank you so much," Rarity told her friends. "I can keep my worries down so I can focus on my clothing. Things are happening so quickly, I feel flush."

As Rarity fanned herself, Apple Jack smiled and shook her head. "It's no problem. Just don't forget us once you get all famous up in Canterlot."

* * *

><p>From outside the library, Luna watched as Celestia poured over a large, dusty volume. Ever since that strange spell had awoken them in the night, her sister had her eyes glued to one book after another. She hadn't even stopped for food or water.<p>

Before Luna could enter the library to talk to the other princess, she heard a sound that indicated that Discord had popped out of nowhere. She saw the draconequus floating above Celestia's head, and decided to stay back for now.

"Oh, Celestia. Don't you know that all work and no play will make you a dull pony," Discord said with a lazy smile. "Or psychopathic. I forgot which."

"Is that what happened to you?" Celestia said as she looked up from the spell book.

Discord faked a shocked look and fell to the ground dramatically. "What a cruel thing to say, Princess," he said while clutching his heart. Then he added sarcastically, "Ppffft, as if I would do anything close to work."

The Princess of the sun gave Discord an amused look. "Can I help you with something?" she asked with one raised eyebrow.

Discord disappeared and reappeared again, this time smaller and standing on her book. "Maybe you should ask, 'What can Discord do for me?'" Discord said, changing his voice for the Celestia part. "After all, you are looking into my kind of magic."

"Okay, then tell me about the spell that I felt last night," Celestia said, her face turning more serious as she leaned closer to Discord.

"I can't. I didn't feel it," the draconequus said as he folded his mismatched arms. "You should know that one creature of chaos can't feel any chaotic spells but their own."

Celestia huffed in aggravation and turned the page of the book, even though Discord was still on it. She paid little attention to him as he was knocked off his feet. She only read half a page before the draconequus appeared once more in front of the text in a reclined position, still small. "If you aren't going to help, Discord. . .," she told her guest patiently.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll give you a hint," Discord said as he waved his paws at her.

"A hint?"

Discord once again vanished, and in a blink of the eye, he was his normal size and mere inches away from the alicorn's face. "Well, if I told you everything, it wouldn't be as fun, now would it?"

Celestia shook her head, but in the end she smiled. "Okay, Discord. Give me the hint."

Discord slammed the large book closed, which caused the white pony to step away. "You're looking in the wrong spot," he said mysteriously. When he saw that Celestia was about to protest, he wagged a claw at her. "Ah, ah, ah. That's my only hint. . . for now."

With a snap of his claws, a small red tricycle appeared on the tiled floor. With no difficulty with his original size, he sat on the tiny vehicle, his long body looking ridiculous on the child's toy. "Remember what I said about no play, Celestia," he said before he regally rode away.

Once the draconequus was gone, Luna walked into the library. She had hoped that Discord's antics might be useful for once, and actually persuade Celestia to take a break. Instead, her sister was now staring at only the spines instead of the pages.

"Sister, perhaps you should stop. . .," Luna started, but stopped when she heard the other Princess mumble something.

"They're all spell books," Celestia told herself, and magicked the volumes away. "Then I'm not looking for a spell."

Luna looked at the books skeptically. They were all spell books that dealt with chaos magic. Creatures of chaos, like Discord, naturally used that type of magic, but ponies could as well with the right spell. King Sombra had learned many of these spells. One of those spells had helped turn Luna into Nightmare Moon. She shivered as she remembered what it felt like to wield chaos magic.

"Is that what Discord told you?" Luna asked with a frown. "You shouldn't believe everything he says. I don't trust him."

Celestia left the books and turned to her sister. "You did once," she stated.

"That was a long time ago. We shouldn't ignore what he almost did to Equestria," Luna warned.

"But I also can't forget the good he's done either," Celestia said wisely. "He did save my life once, remember?"

Luna did, but that didn't stop her from disliking the mismatched creature.

Realizing that her actions were disturbing her younger sister, Celestia magicked the books back onto their shelves. "Come, Luna. Let's eat, and then will you come fly with me? Just like old times?"

Nostalgia washed over the darker sister as she remembered the flights they used to take together when they were younger. Luna smiled and agreed. Side by side, the sisters left the mystery of the chaos magic behind for now.

* * *

><p>Pinky Pie sighed, soaking up the good feelings that were coming off her friends. Good news was just as good as eating freshly baked cookies. But there was still more ahead. "Fluttershy, you said you have some news as well."<p>

Fluttershy lowered her head, hiding her face behind her pink hair. "Yes, but Twilight can go next. I don't mind."

"You can go first, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle softly insisted, wanting her timid friend to know that she cared enough to let her go next. "I can wait.

"Oh, as long as it's okay with you," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "Well, this morning, Angel spotted something new at the edge of the Everfree Forest. When I saw what he had found, I was so excited I was leaping for joy."

When the pegasus said she had been leaping for joy, her friends couldn't help but imagine that she was more likely gently hopping for joy.

"Angel had found a Neon Glow Cocoon. I can't believe that they are back in Ponyville. It's been so long since I've seen one," Fluttershy said breathlessly.

"A Neon Glow cocoon? Really? That's amazing, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes twinkling with wonder. The librarian pony, of course, knew what Fluttershy was talking about. Since she had made friends with the gentle pegasus, she had included Ponyville's wildlife as one of her subjects of study.

Apple Jack, as well as the others, only frowned as the news didn't mean much to them. "Now hold on, Sugarcube. What's so special about these Neon what-cha-ma-callits?"

The quiet excitement was obvious in Fluttershy's voice. "The cocoons eventually hatch into Neon Glow Butterflies. They are migratory, and only lay their eggs in the same locations every eight years. And this year, they're back in Ponyville. I saw them hatch eight years ago, and I can't wait to see them again."

Fluttershy became lost in her memories as she related her experience when she first saw the butterflies. "I was still just a filly, and I was flying over the Everfree Forest. My wings still weren't strong and I crashed into the trees. As I was walking home, night fell. I was scared at first, but then the cocoons started to glow. And then they all hatched at once. It was so beautiful, to see hundreds of butterflies glowing all around me in all the colors of the rainbow. It was magical."

The other ponies and Spike sighed as they imagined the sight that Fluttershy described.

"That sounds marvelous. I must see them," Rarity said, loving anything that was beautiful.

Fluttershy nodded. "I hope we can see them hatch, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done."

"Hatching parties!" Pinky Pie shouted gleefully.

"Oh no. We have to gather as many of the cocoons before they hatch," Fluttershy timidly interjected.

The purple alicorn looked skeptical. "Why would we need to do that?"

"Well . . ." Fluttershy trailed off, looking sad. "Eight years ago, when I saw the butterflies hatch, something terrible happened to them. A dragon was there and chased me away. It was eating the butterflies. There was nothing I could do for those poor things."

"So, these butterflies taste good?" Spike asked, wondering why a dragon would deviate from a delicious diet of gems.

Twilight Sparkle shot a glare at the baby dragon before comforting her friend. "That sounds awful. Of course, we'll make sure they don't get eaten. They're endangered after all."

Rarity tossed her hair to the side. "Obviously these fabulous creatures must be saved."

"If they are rainbow colors, then count me in," Rainbow Dash added. "I bet I can save more than anyone else."

Fluttershy perked up at the support her friends gave her. "Oh, thank you. I have a greenhouse that we can put them in until they hatch. It could happen any day now. Their cocoon-life is very short. And they must be moved gently. The cocoons are very delicate."

There was a pause in the conversation as the friends shared a few comments with their neighbors and took a few bites of their lunch.

Spike was the one who brought it back to the initial conversation. "Now will you tell them, Twilight?" he asked his friend.

"Oh, right," the alicorn perked up, ignoring her food. "Well, recently I've felt like my house hasn't been meeting Ponyville's needs as a library. Not to mention, now that I'm a princess, I have other duties that keep me out of my home. So this morning, I wrote a letter to Mayor Mare about moving the library to a bigger building and giving up some funds to extend the selection. And she agreed! The new library is going to be a few buildings just west of Sugar Cube Corner." Twilight Sparkle looked at her friends, expectant them to give her a fanfare for her announcement.

There was a moment of silence until Spike cleared his throat and gave them a gesture to indicate to say something. Most of the ponies suddenly broke out in praise and congratulations, except for Rainbow Dash.

"That's your big news," she said sarcastically. "More books. Big whoop."

"But my news will actually benefit all of Ponyville," Twilight Sparkle defended, feeling a bit irked at Rainbow Dash's words. "It's not like its some silly contest."

It looked as if an argument was about to break out when Rarity had to add her two cents to the conversation. "Rainbow Dash does have a point, darling. Your heart is in the right place, but not many ponies are going to be excited about getting a few more dusty, old magic books."

"Urgh, you ponies don't understand," Twilight Sparkle sighed irritably. "The extended library is going to cover everything. Language, biology, zoology, mythology, interior design, fashion, business, agriculture, aerodynamics, fiction for all ages, cooking books galore, and everything in between. There's going to be books for every pony. I'll be going to Canterlot tomorrow to purchase them."

This new information brought sincere excitement around the table.

"Oh, that reminds me. Spike we should write a note to Celestia to tell her we'll be in Canterlot tomorrow," Twilight Sparkle told her assistant. "Don't let me forget."

Spike nodded, his mouth full of food.

"Imagine," Rarity began with dreamy eyes. "I can look up all the latest fashions from Canterlot, and all the other cities."

"You can even look up ancient fashions. Who knows, you might get famous for bringing something back in style," Twilight Sparkle added to the unicorn's dialog.

Apple Jack was next to add her thoughts. "It would be nice to know about other kinds of apple trees. Maybe I'll try plantin' one of those foreign Fiji Apples."

Eager to make peace between her and her friend, Rainbow Dash said, "I'm sure you'll get the newest Daring Do novel so I can finally find out what happens next."

Pinky Pie was jumping up and down in excitement as her friends gabbed their thoughts. "And I can help you repair that old, junk heap into a proper library," she said happily.

Twilight Sparkle nodded as she said, "I'm glad you all think. . .WHAT?" Pinky Pie's words finally hit her, causing her to yell. "Pinky, what do you mean 'that old, junk heap'?"

Pinky Pie, still smiling, put a hoof to her mouth. "Well, there's only one empty building next to Sugar Cube Corner, and it's falling apart."

Twilight Sparkle magicked a letter out of her saddle bags, and quickly read through it. "No, no, no. There must be another building." She showed the address to Pinky Pie.

Spike only crossed his arms as if he were gloating. "I told you what Mayor Mare promised was too good to be true."

"Yep, that's the one," Pinky Pie said pointing at the paper. "The derelict library."

"Oh, no. This is a disaster," Twilight Sparkle shrieked, biting her lip. "How am I suppose to turn a dilapidated building into a library by Saturday?"

"Um. . . Why does it need to be done so quickly?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Why can't you do it after the ball?"

Twilight Sparkle pulled on her mane before answering. "That's the thing, I made a deal with the mayor. She would double the library's funds if I could get it ready right before the ball. She wants to do a ribbon cutting ceremony when Princess Celestia and Luna come into town."

"See, I told you she had an ulterior motive," Spike warned her. "Not only does she look good for the princesses, but you have to fix that eye-sore for free."

The alicorn slumped onto her rump, resting her head on the circular table. "I should have known there was a catch. I don't think I can do it."

Apple Jack, who knew more than enough on how to fix up a building, was the first to comfort the newly dubbed princess. "Ah, shoot, with the six of us workin', we can get 'er done. A little spit and polish, and it'll be good as new. I can even get Big Mac to do some carpentry if there's a need."

Rarity jumped in as well. "And I can help with the interior. I'll make curtains.."

"The Cakes just remodeled their store," Pinky Pie added. "They have loads of extra paint and supplies. I'm sure they'll want to help out as well."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes started to water a bit, and then she lifted her head up. "Thank you so much. I'm sure if we all work together this week, we can help every pony succeed."

"As long as it doesn't interfere in my training," Rainbow Dash said, winking at her friends to show she was joking.

Pinky Pie jumped around and cheered. "Wow, this is going to be a busy-busy week. It's going to be a cocoon-finding, Wonderbolt-training, library-making, fashion-planning week! Wahooo!"

"Just keep that energy under wraps for now, Pinky," Apple Jack warned. "We'll definitely need it."

"I just hope we aren't too busy," Rarity complained a little. "I don't want to be so tired I can't go to the Fire and Water Ball."

Twilight Sparkle put on her determined look. "Leave it to me, ponies. I'll set up a schedule to fit everything in. If we divide up the work, everypony should be satisfied."

"Can I help, too?" a high voice called out.

There were two at that table who had been listening to the entire conversation without saying a word. The lone cat, once Fluttershy had stopped doting on him, had curled up under the table and pretended to sleep. At a few points of the meal, everypony had been quiet enough to hear him purring.

The other was Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all through the meal (save to order her own lunch), spoke up when she felt she should. Because of the incidents of the night before and that morning, she had been feeling reserved with her words, fearful that she'd get excited and break something. She had been content to eat as she listened, until now.

When the seven pairs of eyes turned to her, the small unicorn swallowed hard to calm herself before she spoke again.

"I want to help, Rarity. Please," she asked her sister.

"But you are helping, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said with a smile. "You saved me a lot of time this morning with the shopping."

"But I want to help with the fashion show," Sweetie Belle said her voice raising in volume. "And I can help gather cocoons. Maybe I can get my cutie mark."

"Well, I don't know. . .," Rarity murmured her voice drifting off.

"Scootaloo and Apple Bloom will want to help, too," Sweetie Belle continued insistently.

Apple Jack jumped in when Rarity looked to still be wavering. "It would be easier with a few more ponies in the mix. Right, Rarity?"

The alabaster unicorn nodded, although she looked a bit worried. Rarity could be a bit temperamental when it came to fashion, and she didn't want any extra stress this week.

"The more the merrier," Pinky Pie added cheerfully.

Twilight Sparkle nodded, but added her no-nonsense thoughts. "We'd love to have your help. But you girls may not be given the jobs you want to do. Sometimes you'll need to go where you're more needed, and it'll be hard work. It's not going to be fun and games."

Sweetie Belle nodded. Despite her size, she wasn't one to shun away from hard work. "I know. As long as it helps Rarity, I'll do what I can. I know this show is important to her."

Rarity felt deep love for her sister at that moment. She told herself that she shouldn't be surprised by Sweetie Belle's unselfishness. She had always been ready to help anyone in need. "Thank you," Rarity told her sister as she gave her a hug. "I very much appreciate it."

Sweetie Belle felt an inner excitement at being included with her big sister's friends, and had secret dreams of earning her cutie mark helping one of them. She was so excited that she didn't notice that her horn started to emit magic. When she finally sensed that her magic was working out of control, she tried to calm it down without even knowing what she was doing.

The teacup that Fluttershy was sipping out of suddenly exploded, crockery and tea going everywhere. The pegasus shrieked and fell onto her rump as she stumbled backward.

Everypony was so concerned with what happened to Fluttershy that they didn't notice Sweetie Belle turning around and trying to calm down. The small unicorn was sweating and trembling from trying to contain herself.

After all that, the group finished their meals and paid the waitress.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash called to the other pegasus, "if you help me with my routine, I'll help you with your cocoons for a while."

Fluttershy agreed to the deal, and Apple Jack decided to go with them.

"But I need to go home first. If I don't give Grannie Smith her medication, she starts painting the chickens," the orange pony said as if what she said was normal.

The three left as the others walked down the street.

"I have to get back to work," Rarity quickly said as she broke away from her friends, her bags floating along next to her. "Come along, Sweetie Belle."

As Twilight Sparkle and Pinky Pie continued down the street alone, the younger of the unicorn sisters hesitated as she watched the purple alicorn move away.

"Sweetie Belle, are you coming?" Rarity called out again, her voice sounding impatient.

"You go ahead," the young pony called back. "I need to ask Twilight Sparkle about something." Before her sister could question her further, she trotted toward the older pony.

Rarity wondered if this had anything to do with Sweetie Belle's earlier behavior. If it did, the unicorn felt hurt that her little sister didn't come to her. But then again, it might be something that Twilight Sparkle could only help with. After a heavy shrug, she led her bags away home.

"Hey, Twilight. Can I talk to you?"

Seeing that the filly was running toward them, Twilight Sparkle gave Pinky Pie a gesture to stop for the unicorn. From the beginning, the alicorn could tell that what Sweetie Belle had to say was personal, so she stepped away from the Earth pony and Spike.

"What can I help you with?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Um. . . I have a small problem. . . with my horn," Sweetie Belle said shyly.

Twilight Sparkle nodded; the young unicorn was about the age for it. "Are you sure you want to ask me? Wouldn't you feel more comfortable talking to your parents or Rarity?"

"Rarity is so busy right now, and my parents are out of town until Saturday," Sweetie Belle replied with a sigh. "And magic is your specialty."

A grin appeared on Twilight Sparkle's face as she noticed the dark rings under the filly's eyes, and knew the signs. "Let me guess, your horn has grown abnormally recently? And your horn has released magic all on its own?"

Sweetie Belle's eyes grew wide, and she could feel tears coming to her. "Yes, that's what's been happening."

Twilight Sparkle nodded knowingly. "Sounds like you have Magicis Fluxus. It's common for unicorns to get it when they're young."

"Is it bad?" Sweetie Belle asked, her ears lowering.

"Not really," Twilight Sparkle quickly answered. "I had it when I was a filly. It just happens when you get a build up of magic, and its not properly channeled. With a few exercises, it can be managed, but until you find out your special talent and earn your cutie mark, it won't go away."

This news was like a rock of disappointment in Sweetie Belle's gut. It seemed to her that not having a cutie mark was giving her more and more problems. Her burning desire to have a decorated flank doubled despite the dark feelings she had.

"I do have a book that you can read that will help," Twilight Sparkle explained, "And it will give you some methods on how to control the problem, like meditation and practicing your magic."

"Oh. I guess I'll come by and pick up that book," Sweetie Belle said, her voice filled with uncertainty and disappointment.

The newly made alicorn pressed her lips together in thought before speaking next. "If you want, I can spend a little time teaching you a few easy spells. And I can show you how to meditate."

Immediately the small unicorn perked up. "That sounds great Twilight. Can I come by later?"

Smiling because she was happy to help out Sweetie Belle, Twilight Sparkle answered. "I should be home all day once I'm done looking at the new library location. Come by any time."

As Sweetie Belle galloped off to catch up with her sister, the alicorn shook her head in wonder. It surprised her that such a confident unicorn such as Rarity had such an uncertain sister. Sometimes, the two were complete opposites.

"Sorry about that," Twilight Sparkle told Pinky Pie and Spike, who had patiently waited for their friend. "Thank you for waiting."

"No problemo," Pinky Pie said perkily. "Besides, we could hear everything, so I wasn't bored." The pink Earth pony showed no sign of shame, but Spike lowered his head at the purple pony's glare.

"Well, I hope that you two will keep your mouth shut. Sweetie Belle is very sensitive, and I know how embarrassing it is to have an out-of-control horn," Twilight told them. She watched as the baby dragon nodded, and Pinky Pie made an elaborate show of how much her mouth was locked up tight.

"I didn't know you had that thing, Magicis Fluxus," Spike said as they continued their walking. "What kind of trouble did your horn get you into?"

"Oh, I kind of made large objects instantaneously explode."

Spike's eyes widened and he gulped. "I'm glad that didn't happen when I was hatched."

"You and me both," Twilight Sparkle muttered.

After a while, Pinky Pie took the lead, guiding them directly to the address that Twilight Sparkle had given them.

"Alrighty, there's your new library," Pinky Pie said as they rounded a corner. She presented the view with a raised hoof.

When Twilight Sparkle saw the building, she was in shock. It was worse than she had imagined. The square, two story building looked to be one of the oldest in Ponyville. All the windows were busted and boarded up. The paint was faded and peeling, and the roof looked in need to be re-shingled. And that's only what Twilight Sparkle could see, she was almost afraid to see the inside.

"It's not that bad, Twilight," Pinky Pie said, trying to cheer up her friend. "Let's go pick up some cup cakes at Sugar Cube corner, and then we'll work on that schedule."

"Schedule. . .Yeah," Twilight Sparkle said, her ears perking up at one of her favorite words. "With everypony's help with the proper schedule, we'll get this library going within the week. Come on, Pinky. Let's move."

Newly fired up about her project, Twilight Sparkle trotted away with a bouncing Pinky Pie on her heels. Spike, who lagged behind, took one look at the library before shaking his head. "We're going to need a lot of luck on our side," he muttered before moving on.

From the shadows of the new library, a cat smiled at Spike.

"Oh, you'll have plenty of luck," Chaos said to the retreating baby dragon. "Good or bad, luck is luck." The cat watched the three leave before reaching up against the side of the library to sharpen his claws. Even though he was just stretching, some of his chaotic magic was released.

"Oopse," Chaos said lazily, watching the spell race away in random directions. "I guess I'm still not strong enough to control that." But he didn't mind. After all, nobody could control the random.

* * *

><p>Ever since the strange feeling of magic the night before, Zecora had been on alert for anything out of the ordinary in the Everfree Forest. But as she went about her business, the zebra felt nervous even though everything seemed normal. She had even wandered around the woods looking for any sign of the magic that had disturbed her. There was nothing.<p>

Zecora was a very confident pony, and was sure that what she felt wasn't her imagination. But she was coming to the conclusion that the burst of magic was a fluke, just a one-time occurrence. That is until she felt it again in the early afternoon. And this time she was fully conscious so she could analyze what her senses were feeling.

"What is this that tries to deceive? Is it chaos magic I perceive?" she asked herself, her eyes wide. She frowned. She was one who was familiar with chaos magic and the creatures that could use it, and it surprised her greatly to come across it here in Equestria. "If a spirit of chaos in Equestria do roam, then it is my duty to protect this home."

At this time, two paths of action came to her mind that she could do. One was that she could go to Ponyville and tell Twilight Sparkle and her friends about the chaos magic. As the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, they were the perfect defenders against a spirit of chaos if it was in a destructive mood.

But Zecora had experience with these kind of spirits. She was sure that nobody in Ponyville had seen one before. She disliked the idea of running to someone else for help, especially when she had no information on the creature. And the spell she felt didn't appear to be very strong, so it might be a small spirit. She might be able to handle this on her own, with Ponyville being none the wiser.

In the end, she decided to cast a few spells before asking for help. She knew a few simple incantations that would gather information about the chaotic spirit. It was the best solution, and if it proved to be a spirit in a good mood, she might be able to convince it to move on. Better that than to raise a false alarm.

Before she headed back to her tree hollow, she gathered a few plants, herbs, fungi and other items she needed for her spells, as well as dinner. It would take all night to brew the potion, but it would be worth it.

* * *

><p>As Apple Jack trotted through the gates of Sweet Apple Acres, she saw her little sister galloping around the trees as she gathered the fruit that was in season. This wouldn't be unusual except that on Apple Bloom's head was very nice sun hat.<p>

"Hey, Apple Bloom. Where'd ya get that fancy hat?" Apple Jack called as she trotted to the trees.

"Aunt Orange gave it to me," Apple Bloom said proudly, tossing her head a little.

"Aunt Orange?"

"Yeah, she and Uncle Orange have come from Mainhattan for a surprise visit," Apple Bloom explained. "They're in the house now."

"Is that so?" Apple Jack glanced at the house and noticed a large pile of luggage on the porch. "Well, I hope they don't expect anything fancy. We're barely makin' ends meet as it is." She remember her own time in Mainhattan. Aunt and Uncle Orange were used to the better things in life. She worried that a few days on the farm would make this a very unpleasant visit for all of them.

"Granny Smith's already put them to work," Apple Bloom said with a sly smile. "She's been havin' them pull weeds in the garden for hours."

_That's Granny for ya_, Apple Jack thought. "I guess I better go in and say howdy."

Apple Bloom followed her sister into the house, curious to see Apple Jack with the city ponies.

"Heya, Granny. I hear some of my relatives have stopped by," Apple Jack said as the two sisters stepped in. She found the three ponies in the kitchen, drinking lemonade.

The Oranges were standing up to the counter with their drinks, patches of dirt on their hooves and coat. To Apple Jack's surprise, they were smiling brightly instead of looking irritated for being made to do physical labor. The couple greeted Apple Jack warmly, commented on how much she'd grown. After a few pleasantries, they explained that they had come out for the Fire and Water Ball.

"We would have stayed in a hotel, but they're all filled up," Aunt Orange explained further. "Then I figured we could stay here. We're sorry we didn't give you more notice, but hopefully you could use a few more hooves helping out."

"Of course we could use the help," Granny Smith said politely. "Apple Jack's relatives are always welcomed here."

Apple Jack turned to her aunt and uncle. "I'm just sorry we can't give you better accommodations. Things are a little tight 'round here."

"We don't mind," Uncle Orange said with a shrug. "After all, it reminds me of working in our orange orchard."

"I thought you owned a chain of restaurants?" Apple Bloom asked asked. She couldn't image her relatives living so nicely in Mainhattan from just an orange orchard if it was anything like an apple farm.

"Oh, we do. But when I was a colt, I worked on the orange orchard. Selling oranges in Canterlot made us some good money. But we made a better deal with the land when Canterlot's real estate sky rocketed," the stallion continued. "That's when my parents opened up their first Orange Julius."

"I didn't know you used to live in Canterlot," Apple Bloom chimed in. "Why did you move?"  
>"The first restaurant was so popular, we went all over until we settled in Mainhatten," Uncle Orange answered. "I really didn't like Canterlot, but your mother loved it. Especially when they had the Fire and Water Ball there twenty years ago."<p>

It was a subject that wasn't spoken very often in the Apple Family, but the two young mares were anxious to hear about their mother.

"She went to the ball?"

"Yeah, that's how she met your father. She spoke of that night often. And I believe that the Apple family was famous for their apple cider, which was served at the ball," Aunt Orange stepped in, knowing this part.

"Yes, I believe they asked for around two hundred gallons," Granny Smith said with a smile. "That was a tall order to fill."

"Tell us about it," Apple Bloom pleaded. She, more than anyone, was hungry for more information.

"I remember mom and dad were so angry about her using money on something so foolish, but Valencia always dreamed of going to the ball. She saved up for almost a year to buy her dress," Uncle Orange chuckled. "And then once she got there, some clumsy farm stallion accidentally spilled hot apple cider all over it."

"Then what happened?" both of the sisters asked impatiently.

"At first, she thought that her dream had been ruined, but it turned out to be the best thing that happened to her. Of course, you father was the clumsy stallion, and tried to help her out. In the end, the two talked all night far away from the ball. She didn't even get to dance once, but she didn't mind."

"I didn't know that was how they met," Apple Jack said.

Uncle Orange winked at Apple Bloom. "If you want my opinion, I think you father spilled cider on Valencia's dress on purpose. I always thought he was a scalawag."

Apple Bloom giggled at that.

"I guess what they say is true," Apple Jack added. "Romance is destined to happen at the Ball."

"Every mare dreams of meeting their special somepony there," Aunt Orange said with a sad smile. "I never made it to one, but I didn't need to. Our marriage was arranged, which is the most unromantic way to get married." Aunt Orange frowned for a while, but smiled once she looked at her husband so everypony knew she was teasing.

"Arranged?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's were the folks decide who their children are gonna get hitched to," Apple Jack explained, and then wrinkled her nose. "I thought they stopped doin' those a long time ago."

The couple just nodded their heads, and Aunt Orange spoke next. "Yes, but we both came from very traditional families. It was almost a sin to go against our parents."

"I remember back when I was a filly, the Apple family still arranged some," Granny Smith added. "But once it went out of fashion, we just kind of let it go."

"Valencia was always a rebel, and married your father even if it meant being disowned," Uncle Orange said his smile starting to fade. "Dad was so angry, he didn't even write to her. Not even when she got sick."

As the topic turned gloomy, Aunt Orange jumped in to lighten the mood. "Once we were married, I made your uncle promise to take me to the ball at least once. And Ponyville seemed like the best time so we could spend time with you girls and Macintosh."

"We've also been asked to supply cider for the ball this year," Granny Smith told them, "so it'll be nice to have some help."

"And that way, Apple Jack can have a small break," Aunt Orange added.

Despite how much her friends needed her this week, Apple Jack winced. She didn't like to be told to take it easy. "Now hold on. I'm as fit as a fiddle. I don't need a break."

"But its nice to have one," Granny Smith said tenderly but firmly. "You've been workin' very hard lately, sometimes runnin' the farm all by yourself. It's about time you took some time for yourself and had a little fun."

Aunt and Uncle Orange nodded while the former announced, "And to make sure you go to that ball yourself to have fun and not work, I've found you a date."

"A what?!" Apple Jack exclaimed loudly.

"He's the son of a business partner in Mainhatten," Uncle Orange went on to explain. "The whole family will be at the ball, and I thought the two of you would get along."

"I even brought you a dress from Mainhattan," Aunt Orange said happily. "I'd like you to put it on tonight to see how it fits."

"You set me up on a blind date," Apple Jack reiterated in shock. Then she put on a fake smile, realizing how much her aunt and uncle cared for her to do such a thing. "Great."

"Oh, I can't wait to see you dancing in that dress. I think it will look so good on you," the mare gushed at her niece.

Something felt wedged in Apple Jack's throat, as if she swallowed something too large for her. Even though she had been to the Grand Galloping Gala and a few other parties, she was never required to dance. Even when she lived with her relatives in Mainhattan, she never learned any kind of steps. It was just another thing that made her dread the weekend.

"Sounds fun," Apple Jack lied, trying to keep a smile on her face. She hated not being entirely honest, but the smile on her aunt's face was too much. She couldn't say no.

About that time, the lemonade was finished and the couple was ready to go back to work.

"I hope that I'm just as good at apple bucking as I was orange bucking," Uncle Orange said as he went out the door.

"Oh, with all this work, I'll have to make sure to take Apple Jack to get hooficures," Aunt Orange said with a smile. "Would you like to come too, Apple Bloom?"

"Absolutely," Apple Bloom said happily, glad to be part of all the excitement.

As Apple Jack followed, she watched as her older brother trot by with a wagon full of apples. On his head was a new leather cowboy hat, one with a feather on it. "Hey Big Macintosh, did you get that fancy hat from Aunt and Uncle Orange?"

"Ayup!" he said with a proud toss of his head.

The mare's thoughts turned to what Aunt and Uncle Orange had brought her made her look at the stallion with envy. "I'll trade ya."

"Nope!" Big Mac said with a half smile as if he knew exactly what she wanted to trade.

* * *

><p>"What an interesting group of ponies," Chaos told to himself.<p>

As he settled into the abandoned building that would eventually be the new Ponyville library, he watched his targets with an ocular spell. A large smile was pasted on his face as he viewed their lives without them knowing they were being watched. He watched as Sweetie Belle went to Twilight Sparkle's home and learned a few simple spells, most of which went wrong and ended up breaking things or setting something on fire. He only glanced a little at the pegasi collecting cocoons and Rarity sewing, but giggled as he witnessed Apple Jack trying on the stylish dress for the ball. But they weren't the only ones he kept an eye on. His magic had spread all over the small town, and he could tell that ponies all over had been affected by his magic.

He especially found watching Canterlot entertaining, purring as he watched Celestia pour over volumes of dusty books, trying to find out who he was. If only she would search her memory with such fervor, she might find the answer.

"So much going on, so much chaos. This is far more fun than before I was imprisoned," Chaos said out loud. "The cogs of fate are finally rolling, and nature is taking its course. Should I make them spin faster?" He raise a paw, his claws ready to scratch at the earth. But then he put his claws away and set them down softly. "No, I should wait. I don't want things to happen too quickly. Everything must come together in the right time."

After finding a cozy spot to curl up, the flame-point Siamese laid down for a good night's rest. In time, his magic would come to full strength.


	3. Chapter 2: Monday Part 1

(Author's note: I apologize that this story hasn't been update in eight months. This past year has gone by so quickly for me, and it has been so busy. To sum things up, I am now a first time Mommy. I'm hoping that as my son grows older, I'll be able to spend more time writing, but I've been told that will not be the case. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this next installment of my story. I realize that this chapter is still setting up a lot of the story, but I assure you this fanfic gets better the further it goes. I thank everyone who has kept watching me patiently despite my absence. And I especially thank everyone who reviews my story. It is great to hear what people think about my writings.)

Chaotic Harmony

Chapter 2: Monday Part 1

By Emilou AKA Hatashi Kitty

Even before the sun was peering over the horizon, Apple Jack was up. Usually she liked to do her chores before dawn so she could watch the beautiful sunrise, but today wasn't a day that she could take that break. She had to load up the Apple family food stand so she could be at the Wonderbolt preliminary try-outs early. It was the same food stand that she had taken to the Grand Galloping Gala, since it was easy to set up and display her products.

Once she had finished loading up the apple treats she would sell, she looked around the farm. Apple Blood made her promise last night to take her to the Wonderbolt try-outs to watch Rainbow Dash, but now that it was time to go, there was no sign of the filly.

"Apple Bloom, time to go," Apple Jack called out loudly.

"I think I saw her go into that barn a while ago," Aunt Orange called back to Apple Jack as she pointed to the oldest barn the Apples used, one that they rarely used except for storage. Aunt Orange and her husband were already helping Granny Smith out in the garden even though they were exhausted from the work of the previous day.

Apple Jack went to the barn. Right before she could open the large door, it moved on its own with Apple Bloom jumping out quickly.

"Is it time to go yet?" Apple Bloom asked with a beaming face.

"Yeah. Did you get your chores done?" Apple Jack asked. As she did, she peered into the darkness of the barn. "What cha doin' in there?"

"Of course I am done," Apple Bloom told her sister as she closed the barn door. "Let's go, or we'll miss something," she called as she galloped away.

Finding it a little suspicious that her little sister would be in that particular barn, Apple Jack was tempted to take a peek inside to see what Apple Bloom was hiding. She knew just how much a spirited little filly the yellow pony could be, and was worried that Apple Bloom might be hiding something important. But Apple Jack couldn't bring herself to betray her sibling's trust, and just hope that she wasn't getting into trouble.

As the two sister started off to the Wonderbolt try-outs, Uncle Orange called out, "Why don't you go, too, Macintosh?"

The large, red stallion, who was hauling water for the trees, looked a little skeptical at this.

"Yes, you need a break as well," Aunt Orange agreed with a nod. "You go and have fun. We can handle things until you get back."

That seemed to settle things. Big Mac only shrugged and joined his sisters. They each gave the farm worried glances, wondering if this was a good idea to leave behind the three older ponies to the work. But then again, it wasn't everyday that all three siblings had done anything together that didn't involve work. It reminded them of the days that they would all go off together and have picnics in the apple orchards in between chores.

Without another word, the three waved good-bye and headed down the road. It wasn't as if they had far to go, and most likely wouldn't be long.

* * *

><p>In her room in the Cake's home, Pinky Pie was woken up by a knock on her door. She was used to this. Being a baker's assistant, she was required to get up very early except on her days off. And today was one of those days.<p>

Completely awake once she heard the knocking, Pinky Pie went to open the door and found Mrs. Cake on the other side. Beyond the mare, she could hear the twins crying and sobbing.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Mrs. Cake apologized. She looked haggard and tired, as if she had been up all night. "We have a bit of an emergency, Pinky."

Looking worried, Pinky Pie asked, "What's going on? Are the twins alright?"

"I'm afraid not. The twins have contracted measles. They've been up all night crying. I'm surprised that you didn't hear them."

Pinky Pie shrugged. She had been used to the babies crying in the middle of the night, and had somehow developed an audio immunity to the high pitched noise.

"We've already had the doctor come by," Mrs. Cake continue to explain. "But the measles are very contagious, and we can't have them anywhere near the shop."

The pink earth pony was getting a bad feeling about where this was heading.

"We're taking them to my mother's house, but the doctor said we might also have the measles without knowing it. It's best that we are quarantined for at least two weeks," Mrs. Cake said with a heavy sigh. "We'll have to close the shop. We can't risk getting the customers sick."

Pinky Pie's eyes became huge as this sunk in. Close Sugar Cube Corner! This was serious!

But an idea came to her immediately, and she opened her mouth to vocalize it.

"I know you want to help," Mrs. Cake said before the younger mare could. It was as if she already knew what Pinky Pie was going to say. "But you couldn't run the shop all by yourself for two weeks. And you told us all about your friends that need help this week. We couldn't ask you to do all that for us."

Pink ears lowered as she realized that Mrs. Cake was right. She was only one pony, and she had promised to help her friends. It was an awful feeling when she couldn't help one of her friends.

"But there is something that we need you to do," Mrs. Cake added.

"Yes?!" Pinky Pie quickly spoke, eager to please.

Mrs. Cake chuckled at Pinky Pie's energy. "We do have one order that we need to fill this week. The Fire and Water Ball committee needs one thousand cupcakes made plus a centerpiece six-tiered cake. And they must be fresh, so you'll have to do it all on Friday."

"One thousand? Friday?!" Pinky Pie shouted loudly, surprised enough to jump off the ground. "But we've never had such a large order before."

"I know, but there's nothing more we can do," Mrs. Cake said with a lowered head. "I'm so sorry to ask this of you, Pinky, but we've already made a promise. You said Rarity's fashion show ends on Thursday. Maybe your friends could help."

After thinking for a while, Pinky Pie smiled brightly to the mare she considered family. The Cakes had, after all, took her in when she moved to Ponyville. They had trusted her with everything they held dear, their children and now their store. "I will get those cupcakes ready for the ball. That is a Pinky Promise," she told Mrs. Cake adamantly, putting a hoof over her heart.

Mrs. Cake hugged the pink earth pony gratefully. "We'll make this up to you Pinky, after the twins are better."

Pinky Pie stayed a good distance away from the twins as the Cakes finished packing up their necessities, and waved good-bye as they left. Mrs. Cake's mother didn't live too far away, in a town just thirty miles east of Ponyville that was so small they didn't have a train station. They would keep in touch through letters, but other than that, Pinky Pie was on her own for two whole weeks.

* * *

><p>In the field just a mile away from Sweet Apple Acres, dozens of ponies had already accumulated for the preliminary event that would take place. A majority of the ponies were pegasi, but more than enough earth ponies and unicorn milled around either to support family or friends, or just to catch a glimpse of the famous Wonderbolts.<p>

Each pegasi that had already signed up for the event had a number painted down one hind leg to show their place to be judged. A large line of pegasi without numbers had formed in front of the registration table on one side of the field. The middle of the field featured a number of obstacles such as rings, tunnels and poles that were held up high for fliers to navigate through them.

At one edge, the Apple siblings had set up their cart and were selling their products. While their apple cider was selling very well, their apple treats weren't as popular. This fact caused the younger sister to mutter about cheapskate ponies.

"Now, now, Apple Bloom. That's no way to attract customers," Apple Jack said patiently. "Business won't pick up until the action starts. Pretty soon, ponies will relax and get hungry."

The crowd grew and grew, and soon, the Apple siblings were joined by three friends.

"Good morning, Apple Jack. Apple Bloom," Fluttershy gently greeted the sisters. Her eyes then went to the brother, and she shyly ducked her head. "Good morning, Big Mac."

The sisters replied readily, and Big Mac gave her a definite nod.

Next to Fluttershy stood Twilight Sparkle with Spike on her back. They both gave a quick "Good morning" but didn't say any more since they were writing on pieces of paper. Twilight was magicking a pen just as quickly as Spike was writing.

Down by Twilight Sparkle's hooves, the strange cat that followed her yesterday was there again. He sat calmly by her side, his eyes small slights. His smile was just as strange as the fact that the large crowd didn't bother him.

"What are ya workin' on?" Apple Bloom asked, her bold curiosity making her look over Spike's shoulder.

"I'm just finishing up everyone's schedules," Twilight Sparkle explained as she concentrated on writing. "I'm making sure everyone has equal time helping Rarity on her fashion show, Fluttershy with her cocoons and me with the library, as well as having time to watch Rainbow Dash at each try-out. I'm assuming she's going to make it to the finals."

"Do I get one?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Of course, but you have to remember, we're counting on your and your friends to follow the schedules," Twilight said in a lecturing tone.

Apple Bloom gave the new princess a serious face, and nodded her head.

Everyone left Twilight Sparkle and Spike alone after that, and things were a bit quiet. Fluttershy bought an apple fritter from the stand, and was content to eating it slowly as she talked to the flame-point siamese cat.

"Aren't you such a sweet boy," Fluttershy gushed over him.

The cat left the alicorn's side to spend time with the animal lover, hopefully to earn some apple fritter.

From the sky, Rainbow Dash spotted her friends and landed nearby. In her wake, Scootaloo was sprinting along the ground to keep up. "Where's Pinky Pie and Rarity? They're going to start soon," Rainbow Dash said in a grumpy voice.

"I don't know. They should have been here. It's not like the others to be this late," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked up from what she was working on.

"And I need to talk to Rairty," Apple Jack said, but once she did, she seemed embarrassed to have mentioned it. "Not that it's anything really important."

"Look. Rainbow Dash has the number 12," Scootaloo pointed out to everypony the number on the older pegasus's hind leg. "That means she'll be in the third race. They're going to race five ponies at a time."

"Good, because my train to Canterlot leaves at 10:30, and I can't take a later one or my schedule will be completely ruined," Twilight Sparkle said as she glanced up from her writing.

"You're not staying until the end?" Rainbow Dash almost whined, a deep frown etched on her face.

"With the state of the new library is in right now? I wish I had more time, but I need to get supplies ordered and buy the new books, not to mention. . . ," she rattled on her list of things the new library needed, everypony suddenly tuning her out.

"Apple Bloom. Scootaloo," a tiny voice called from without.

Everypony turned and saw the unicorn sisters rushing through the crowd, Rarity with her glasses on while magicking fabric, needle and thread above her head. Sweetie Belle had a pair of saddle bags on her back, feathers poking out of one pocket.

"I'm terribly sorry that I'm late. I received inspiration for a fabulous ensemble, and I lost track of time. I hope I didn't miss anything," Rarity said absent-minded, her attention all on her sewing.

"You're still on time. They haven't started anything yet," Apple Jack said, looking relieved that the unicorn had arrived. "You look a mess. Have you had anything to eat?"

"Oh, I suppose I had something a while . . . ," Rarity trailed off, her eyes focused on her seam making sure it was straight.

The younger sister leaned toward Apple Jack, and whispered in the Earth pony's ear, "She hasn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday."

"Come with me, Rarity," Apple Jack said as she steered her friend toward the food stand. "You can put that down for a minute and have something to eat."

Rarity was slightly surprised when Apple Jack ripped her sewing away from her magic, draped it on Rarity's back, and then presented her with an apple. "Thank you, Apple Jack. I suppose I need to keep up my strength," the dainty unicorn said, and took a delicate bite out of the fruit.

As Rarity ate, Apple Jack made a quick check that nobody else was near them before opening her mouth again. "Hey, since we're talkin', I have a slight favor to ask ya."

"Yes?" Rarity asked half-listening.

Nervously, Apple Jack noticed that the others were close-by, and might over hear her. "Well. . . It's about a dress."

Seeing that Apple Jack was being secretive and it was about clothes, Rarity became interested in the details. "A dress? For whom? You. What's it for? Do you want me to make you one?" The white unicorn nudged her friend.

Apple Jack bit her lip uneasily. She looked away, her hat partially covering her eyes. "Not anythin' big. It's nothin'." She suddenly regretted bringing up the issue.

"Oh, spill it." Rarity took the chance to tease the tom-boy pony, playfully taking advantage of Apple Jack's discomfort. She continued to nudge at the Earth pony. "I won't tell the others."

Apple Jack pushed Rarity away, trying not to look bashful. "I'll tell ya later. I'll come by later and show you."

Rarity pouted, but left it at that.

While they were talking to each other, Twilight Sparkle and Spike finished their work on the schedules.

"Alright, here's yours and yours," Twilight Sparkle said, handing a paper to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

"I can't have this. It'll cause a drag," Rainbow Dash complained waving the paper around.

"Not that that would slow _you_ down, Rainbow," a voice from the crowd called out.

The voice sounded very familiar, and the blue pegasus looked around. Soon, a turquoise pony with blonde mane trotted out of the crowd, a smug look on her face and a number "23" on her leg.

"Lightning Dust? Hey, I haven't seen you since the academy," Rainbow Dash said, suddenly feeling nervous. _I wonder if she's still mad about what I told Spitfire._

"Oh, you mean when you ratted me out?" Lightning Dust said with a frown.

_Yep, still mad._

"I'm sorry that you got kicked out," Rainbow Dash said sincerely. "That was not my intent when I went to Spitfire. I had a concern about your attitude, and you weren't listening to me."

"Hmph, well, not that it matters now," Lightning grumbled. "What's done is done. I try not to dwell on the past, even if I'm now at a disadvantage."

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Look around. Do you recognize a lot of these faces?" Lightning Dust asked, waving a hoof at the crowd.

Rainbow Dash was about to make a sarcastic comment. After all, a lot of the ponies there were from Ponyville, but that probably wasn't what Lightning meant. Instead, she looked at the competing pegasi, and realized that a majority of the faces were familiar, even though she was sure many of them weren't from Cloudsdale.

"They're from the Wonderbolt Academy," Rainbow Dash said in realization. "So what?"

"So, those that graduated from the Academy have a higher advantage than the others," Lightning Dust said, looking down at the blue pegasi. "Don't you think the Wonderbolts are more likely to pick someone who graduated from _their_ academy?"

The other pegasus's words made sense, to Rainbow Dash.

"So, for me to be considered, I have to be much better than anypony else to be noticed," Lightning Dust said, looking determined. "Which means I have to stand out even more; show the Wonderbolts something big and daring."

"At the expense of others?" Rainbow Dash countered, now feeling like she was being attacked by Lightning Dust's words.

"Of course not. I'm not dumb enough to do the same thing that got me in trouble last time," Lightning Dust shot back. "Since the Academy, I've been practicing my precision flying so that I can do any stunt and nobody will get hurt. I realize that Spitfire kicked me out because a leader is responsible for their actions, and I wasn't."

For a while Rainbow Dash wondered if Lightning Dust was going to be vindictive about her past, but now she could see that the other pony had learned from her mistakes.

"Hey, Lightning Dust, good luck. I'm sure you'll do great," Rainbow Dash said with a small smile.

The turquoise pony, still looking slightly angry, nodded. "You too," she said and started walking away. But after a while, she stopped and looked back. "And I'm sorry."

As she watched Lightning Dust walk away, Rainbow Dash wondered if the reason the other pegasus sought her out was to apologize. Rainbow Dash knew what it was like to be full of pride, and then having to apologize. If it wasn't for her amazing friends, she might have gone down the same path Lightning Dust had gone on, driving herself forward at the expense of others without any disregard.

"So, are you two friends again?" Fluttershy wondered.

Rainbow Dash only shrugged. "One day, maybe."

It wasn't long after that, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, and the other Wonderbolts appeared on a raised platform, a megaphone in Spitfire's hoof.

"Alright, everypony gather round. We're going to start the event after I say a few words," Spitfire called out in her commanding voice. She waited a moment for the crowd to quiet and group around the platform.

"Come here, kitty," Fluttershy whispered down to the cat that purred near her forelegs. She picked him up and put him on her back. "There, now your tail won't get stepped on."

The cat, gratefully, rubbed his face against Fluttershy's, and then nestled into a ball on her back for a nap in the warm sun.

"I wonder where Pinky Pie is," Twilight Sparkle thought out loud, causing all her friends to look around for their remaining group member. "I hope everything is alright."

"First off, it's wonderful to see such a turnout," Spitfire continued. "We have a lot of ponies with amazing talent here today, so we have the tough job of narrowing down the competition. Unfortunately, we only have two spots open on the reserved team."

"The reserved team?" Rarity asked in a whisper.

Rainbow Dash whispered back. "The Wonderbolts have a reserved team in case any of them are injured or can't make it to a routine. The reserved team have it hard. Not only do they need to memorize each position in every routine, but be able to copy any of the Wonderbolts on a moment's notice. Only when a Wonderbolt quits or retires does somepony from the reserved team get a permanent position. Some ponies in the reserved team never make it as a permanent Wonderbolt."

Rarity nodded that she understood, and they went back to listening to Spitfire.

"There have been _rumors_ circulating about the reputation of some of the Wonderbolts," Spitfire said, her face showing accusation toward the crowd. "I'd like to put to rest these rumors. There have been no indiscretions by any member of the group. Instead, we have two members retiring this year."

Two of the Wonderbolts, a mare and stallion, stepped forward, the face masks of their uniforms removed.

"As you may recall, Twister and Jetstream here were married last year," Spitfire said with a bright smile, "and they've just announced that they have a little one on the way. They've both decided that this Saturday will be their last performance."

The crowd of ponies gave out a loud cheer as the couple waved and smiled.

"And as tradition, we've given the permanent positions within the Wonderbolts to two of the reserved team," Spitfire announced, and gestured for two stallions to step forward. "Let me introduce the two newest Wonderbolts: Ricochet and Bolt."

The two stallions posed as news-ponies took pictures of them and wrote in their notepads.

"Before we start the preliminaries, let me state a few rules. We're testing you to see if you have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt. This obstacle course is designed to test agility, speed, and style. The reason we will be having five ponies competing all at once will also see if you are a team player. You will treat your rivals as if they are your team mates. Any pushing, shoving, or any kind of dirty flying will not be tolerated. Also, the use of magical potions are strictly prohibited."

"Magical potions? What for?" Scootaloo asked much too loud, and a few ponies turned around to look at her.

Twilight Sparkle lowered her head so she could talk to the filly privately. "There are some potions that can make a pegasus stronger or fly faster. Do you think that's fair?"

At first, Scootaloo thought that it would be awesome to get faster and stronger with no effort. Rainbow Dash would be amazing, and definitely get to be a Wonderbolt. And then she thought that with those potions, she wouldn't have to practice so much to fly. She'd be able to do it right away. But then she thought about how she'd feel if someone else took the potion and Rainbow Dash didn't. It wouldn't be fair after all the work Rainbow Dash had done, and still didn't get to be a Wonderbolt just because some other pony took a shortcut. Finally she remembered how Apple Bloom tried to take a short cut to get her cutie mark. That didn't end well, and maybe taking those magic potions would have consequences she didn't know about.

Scootaloo decided magic potions weren't fair and promised herself she'd exercise her wings every day and get strong just as Rainbow Dash had done: through hard work.

"Okay, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, let's get the try-outs started," Spitfire said once she listed all the rules. "I want ponies with the numbers 1 through 5 at the starting line in one minute. Every pony else make sure you listen for your number. If you aren't present when you're called, you won't be given another chance to compete."

The crowd dispersed so that they could watch the competition on the ground. Five pegasi flew up and toward the starting line.

"Apple Jack, can we go watch the races?" Apple Bloom asked her sister.

Sweetie Belle looked at her own sister as well. "Yes, can we?"

Along with Scootaloo, the three fillies looked expectantly at the older mares.

"I don't see why not," Apple Jack nodded. "I think Big Mac and I can handle the food stand."

Rarity, on the other hoof, looked more concerned. "Well, alright. But be very careful, Sweetie. And stay where I can see you."

As the three fillies ran off to find a good spot to watch, the five mares noticed one pegasus, a stallion, flying over the group and receiving a loud cheer, mostly from mares. He was a burnish color with wild red and yellow mane and tail. He flew smoothly with a cocky aura around him. He blew a kiss toward some of the girls, and a few swooned.

"Who the heck is that?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking skeptical as she watched the stallion winked.

The mares started chanting his name as they crowded near the starting line.

"Apparently his name is Flare," Apple Jack said as she stated the obvious.

"Oh, I've heard about him. He's from Las Pegasus, and travels all around Equestria. He's quite famous," Rarity said, as she eyed Flare. "He's a lot more handsome than his pictures."

"What's he famous for?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well. . . I don't know. A little of this and that, I guess," Rarity said, sounding very uncertain. "All the ponies in Canterlot know him. I've heard he's done some modeling, but also participates in a lot of races, both in the air and on the ground. He basically does whatever he wants, and the press love him."

"We love you, Flare," the fan-mares called out to the stallion as he landed with a flourish.

Rainbow Dash made a dismissing sound from between her lips. "A pony like that isn't going to be much of a competitor. I'll bet he comes last in this seed, and doesn't make it to the semi-finals."

While Rainbow Dash looked confident, the others looked skeptical.

"The first race is about to begin, but I haven't seen Pinky yet," Spike said, looking around the crowd from atop Twilight Sparkle's back.

"Oh, she's gotta be here to see me race," Rainbow Dash said determinately. "She's always been here."

"I wonder what is keeping her," Twilight Sparkle spoke all their thoughts.

However, thoughts of their friend went to the back of their minds as the first race started. With the crack of the starting gun, the five pegasi were off the ground and picking up speed. They zoomed through the obstacles almost as one in the first lap. During the second lap, a few started to lag behind. But the entire three laps around the obstacle course, Flare was in the lead. Once he was across the finishing line, he skidded to a halt, his mane wind-swept which gave his handsome features a more wild-look. Immediately, he was surrounded by mares as they praised him and asked for autographs.

The others didn't seem impressed, but Rarity had found herself flushed as she watched Flare race. Usually she went for the more gentle stallion, but she couldn't help falling for his bad-colt reputation. The white unicorn fanned herself as she tittered. "Oh my," she said as Flare flashed a dazzling smile at the crowd.

"Hey, is that Flare?" a loud, high voice asked nearly in Rarity's ear.

"AH! Pinky, don't sneak up on me," Rarity said as she put a hoof to her chest to calm her rapid heart beat. "Where have you been, darling? We've all be worried."

"You shouldn't have. Nothing in the world would keep me away from cheering for Rainbow Dash," Pinky said with a big smile. And she was ready to cheer since she had two poles strapped to her flanks, each bearing a large flag that said, "Go Rainbow Dash!" She put a foreleg around Rainbow's neck in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Pinky. I didn't want to race without you. I think I'll go warm-up now," Rainbow Dash said with a big smile, and trotted off to near the finish line.

As the second race started, the friends chatted amongst each other, except for Apple Jack. She was busy as more ponies came over to buy food. Even with Big Mac helping out, she had little time to converse with her friends.

"Wait, how do you know about Flare?" Rarity asked suddenly, realizing that the Earth pony knew about the stallion.

"Oh, he's practically one of Equestria's top party crashers," Pinky Pie said with bright admiring eyes. "I read all about him in _Party Pony Weekly_, the magazine that I subscribe to."

"Party crasher?" Twilight Sparkle asked, not liking the sound of that.

"Yep, if there's a big party going on anywhere in Equestria, you can bet that Flare won't be far behind," Pinky Pie continued on. "Not only that, but he has this way to make parties even better. They call him a party genius."

Rarity took a look at Pinky Pie, and an idea popped into her head. _Does she like Flare? It does sound like a celebrity crush,_ she wondered to herself. And for the first (and Rarity was sure the last time), she and Pinky had the same taste in stallions. Rarely did they have the same taste in anything.

Rarity's eyes sparkled as she looked at Pinky Pie. "I feel so close to you," Rarity said happily, thinking about what fun it would be to share a crush with a friend. _And if he ever chooses you over me, I will accept his choice and wish you all the happiness in the world,_ Rarity thought to Pinky.

"Me too," Pinky said, completely oblivious to Rarity's thoughts.

"Hey, it's almost time for Rainbow Dash's race," Spike told them.

The ponies had been so involved in talking about Flare they didn't notice that the second race had ended, and the next five ponies had lined up.

The starting pistil rang out, and Rainbow Dash was off along with the four other competitors. A cheer rose out of the crowd just as loud a one for Flare, all of Ponyville supporting their own minor celebrity. The blur of Rainbow Dash's tail followed her through every curve and loop, not only showing her accuracy in her turns, but adding style and eye appeal to her form. After the third lap, she crossed the finish line with nearly four horse lengths ahead of the next pegasus.

The crowd roared as Rainbow Dash landed gracefully, waving to her friends for their support.

The five friends rushed to the blue pegasus, heaping compliments on her.

"Not bad, for a pony from a small town like Ponyville," a cocky male voice interrupted the acclaim. As the girls moved off of the field, Flare followed them, trotting as if he were on a brisk stroll.

"What do you want?" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but half-yell at the stallion.

"I just wanted to come check out my competition," Flare admitted right out. "As far as I can see, there are few who I need to worry about." After he said this, he flipped his mane about and smiled at a few mares, who giggled.

"So, my skills impressed you," Rainbow Dash snickered, her nose up in the air.

"Hardly. Of course you looked good in your race. You were up against sub-par opponents," Flare said snobbishly. "I had to race against real athletes. After all, the first five who registered are the most serious." At this, he prominently showed off his leg that showed the number "1" painted on it.

His insinuation didn't go unnoticed by Rainbow Dash. She frowned for a while, but then said with false disinterest. "I don't recognize you from the Wonderbolt Academy. That's too bad for you that you didn't get the training that you'd need to win. You may be fast, but you don't have what it takes."

Flare shrugged. "I don't need the academy. I was trained by Fleetfoot. She's my personal trainer," he said with a toothy grin. "She even gave me some pointers that are secret to the Wonderbolts."

Rainbow Dash was sure he was just showing off, but it still irked her because it _might_ be true. "Well. . . I saved the Wonderbolts while doing a Sonic Rainboom. So there," Rainbow Dash boasted, not caring how immature she sounded.

"That was you. Well, then I guess I might have to worry a little bit," Flare said modestly. Then he noticed the rest of the ponies around the pegasus. "Where are my manners? Please introduce me to your enchanting companions, Rainbow Dash."

Rarity and Twilight Sparkle giggled at his charming comment, which made both Rainbow Dash and Spike snort at his "charm".

"I'm Rarity," the unicorn didn't wait to be introduce and offered a hoof. "I don't suppose you'll be modeling at this year's fashion show extravaganza, hmmm?"

"Unfortunately, no. I felt that my time was best spent training for the try-out," Flare said, and kissed Rarity's hoof. "Which is a shame, since I would be honored to share the cat-walk with one such as you."

Rarity giggled and blushed. "Oh, I'm not a model. I'm just a humble little fashion designer who is hosting the show. But I do hope to see you there, at least."

"I do love a party," Flare said confidently.

"So do I!" Pinky Pie shouted, popping up in between the two ponies. "And I'll be helping Rarity with the party. That's my special talent." To emphasize this, Pinky stretched her back leg out to show off her cutie mark.

"Perhaps I can help you out. After all, my special talent is being able to add _Flare_ to everything I do," he said as he mimicked Pinky Pie's action. His cutie mark stood out, showing two fireworks going off in brilliant colors.

Pinky Pie squealed excitedly. "Awesome!" she shouted at him, nearly bowling him over with her excitement.

Flare was a bit taken aback by Pinky Pie's enthusiasm, but quickly composed himself. Then he moved on to the next friend. "This mare needs no introduction. If I'm not mistaken, you're the new Princess Twilight Sparkle. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are. But I prefer just Twilight Sparkle," the alicorn said bashfully. "And this is Spike and Apple Jack."

"Howdy," Apple Jack said friendly, shaking his hoof rapidly.

Flare nodded to Apple Jack as he gave Spike a pat on his head (the baby dragon glared at the stallion and muttered something akin to "Stay away from Rarity."). "I've had your family's apple cider. It's choice."

"Thank ya kindly," Apple Jack said with a puffed out chest.

All this time, Rainbow Dash stood in the middle of her friends with a murderous look on her face. Not only had Flare insulted her indirectly, but now he was buttering up all her friends. She had never met anypony so irritating.

"Rainbow Dash, your friends are delightful," Flare said in a gentle-coltly way. "I just might have to stick by you this whole week. Maybe I can persuade you beautiful mares to give away all of her secrets."

This caused the four mares to giggle.

"I just might give you all _my_ secrets," Rarity said in a flirty tone.

Spike pretended to throw up.

"Wait a minute. He hasn't met Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle suddenly realized, caught up in Flare's compliments. "Where is she?"

"Are you trying to keep your friends to yourself, Rainbow Dash?" Flare asked playfully. His words only put the blue pegasus in a darker mood.

"Here she is," Apple Jack said, noticing that the timid, yellow pony had kept to the back of the group. "This is our friend, Fluttershy."

The pegasus hid behind her pink mane as she was pushed up to the front. "Uh. . . hello," she said softly, lowering her head.

The confidence and bravado that Flare displayed melted from his face as he looked at Fluttershy. His eyes widened and he gazed at her in a mesmerized way. "Such. . . grace. . . The dainty hooves of the sky portrayed in thy elegant steps, the wings of the summer breeze echoes in thy flight. My Lady." Flare tenderly picked up Fluttershy's hoof, and kissed it softly. "Forgive me, Fluttershy. But your beauty startled me."

The stallion's use of ad lib poetry and his bold actions shocked the mares into backing away, including Fluttershy who started stuttering out unintelligent syllables as she blushed in embarrassment from all the attention.

Without any kind of explanation, Fluttershy pulled her hoof away and ran off, a look of embarrassed surprise plastered on her face so loud that the crowd parted easily for her.

In her wake, there was a screeching sound, and the forgotten flame-point siamese cat found himself on the ground, quickly licking his fur as if he hadn't fallen off Fluttershy's back.

Rarity nearly sat back on her haunches, she was so shocked. She had been certain that Flare had paid her sincere compliments, that Flare liked her so much more than the rest of his sycophants, but her heart felt much more fragile after his profuse words to Fluttershy. She started crying loudly on the inside.

"Wow, lucky Fluttershy," Pinky Pie said as she watched the pegasus run off, not showing any sign of heartbreak, which gave Rarity the strength to continue on with her life.

"What was up with that?" Rainbow Dash asked in defense of her friend once the shock wore off. "I know you're used to having all the girls hang on you and fawn after you. You can dish out all the pretty words to them. But you stay away from Fluttershy. She's not someone you can play around with."

"Yeah," Apple Jack jumped in. "Nopony is actually gullible enough to fall for your schmoozin', but Fluttershy will think you're sincere. She probably thinks that you want to date her or somethin'."

Rarity felt herself wilt from Apple Jack's words. _ Nopony is gullible enough?_

"But I do," Flare said with a straight face.

"What?!" the mares all shouted at once.

"It's true that I do add some _Flare_ to my words, and I can't help but compliment every mare that I see. To me, all mares are beautiful, and it is my gift to the world to tell them so," Flare said gallantly. "But she is different than anypony I've ever met. She is my definition of beauty. Fluttershy. Even her name is graceful."

"You're serious?" Rainbow Dash asked with a wrinkled nose.

"With every flap of my infallible wings," Flare answered proudly. "You see, there has been only one thing I've looked for in a mare. I've always wished to marry someone just like my mother."

"You're mother?" Twilight Sparkle repeated skeptically. "Isn't that weird to want to marry someone who looks like your mom?"

"No, not looks like," Flare denied. "Fluttershy doesn't look like my mother, but. . .there is something about her. The humble way she holds her head, the dainty way she walks, the gentleness in her eyes. My mother was just like that."

Awkward pause.

"I'm going to marry that mare!" Flare suddenly said loudly, his face full of determination. Nopony stopped him as he ran off into the crowd to search for Fluttershy.

"Uh. . . does anypony think maybe we should stop him or something. . . ?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and looked at her friends.

Rarity had her back turned to the others and was scuffing her hoof against the ground. "I can be dainty and gentle, too," she told herself sadly.

Rainbow Dash was grinning evilly. "I can totally use Fluttershy to get _all_ his secrets. Heh, heh, heh."

Pinky Pie's eyes were sparkling as her imagination was running wild. "I can totally plan their wedding party. A _huge_ wedding for a party pony. This is going to be epic."

With half closed eyes, Twilight Sparkle watched her friends in disbelief.

"It looks like they're off in their own little worlds," Apple Jack said, the only one not in "la-la land." "I'd like to help, but I left Big Mac all by himself at the stand. I really should be gettin' back." And she took off before things could get even weirder.

Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Well, I guess you and I are the only logical ones here, Spike."

The baby dragon didn't hear her since he was talking to himself. "And then I'll help her mend her broken heart, and it will be all 'Spikey-Wikey is so sweet'. Heh heh."

"It looks like I'm on my own," Twilight Sparkle muttered.

"And then we'll make the cupcakes look like delicious. . . Oh my hooves, CUPCAKES!" Pinky Pie shouted, jumping a foot from the ground.

"Yes, we know you love cupcakes, Pinky," Twilight Sparkle said as she rolled her eyes.

"No, I completely forgot about this morning," Pinky Pie said as she ran in place. "The Cakes need to bake twins for the measles because cupcakes are party."

"You aren't making any sense. Calm down," Twilight Sparkle told her friend, shaking her a bit. "Now slow down and tell me what's wrong."

Pinky Pie took a deep breath, and told her friends about the twins being sick and how the Cakes had to leave, giving Pinky Pie the sole responsibility of baking one thousand cupcakes, plus a six-tiered cake for the dance on Saturday.

"And they have to be fresh, so I need to have them all done by Friday. What am I going to do? How can I make one thousand?" Pinky Pie told them, almost in tears.

"Well, since my fashion show will be over by then, I guess if all of us help out, we could manage," Rarity said hopefully. "I'm not that good at baking, but you could teach us."

"Or, I have a better idea," Twilight Sparkle said confidently, magicking all her papers that she brought. "I know a spell that will help us."

"A cupcake duplication spell?" Pinky Pie asked hopefully.

"No, but this is just as good. I know a time-lock spell that will freeze the cupcakes in time. That way, you can make the cupcakes any time this week, and they'll stay fresh."

Pinky Pie gasped loudly. "That's amazing. Then I can start cooking now and get them done by Friday."

"With our help," Twilight Sparkle added, quickly using her magic to write on the papers. "Let me make a few adjustments here and there. Okay, here's everyone's schedules."

"Um. . . Twilight. . . ," Spike said, poking Twilight Sparkle on the shoulder.

"Not now, Spike. Okay, so if the younger girls help Fluttershy with her cocoons this afternoon, that will leave Apple Jack to help Rarity and Rainbow Dash can help Pinky Pie," Twilight Sparkle said as she handed out the papers.

"Twilight. . . ,"

The alicorn ignored her assistant.

"Awww, but I want to watch the rest of the races," Rainbow Dash whined, her eye on the next set of pegasi flying through the obstacle course. "At least let me stay and watch Lightning Dust. She's going to be my biggest competition."

"Fine, but make sure Fluttershy and the fillies get their schedules, please," Twilight Sparkle said with a sigh.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike shouted in the purple pony's ear.

"What is it, Spike?" Twilight Sparkle growled back.

"It's almost 10:30," Spike told her anxiously.

"Oh my hooves, I'm late," Twilight Sparkle yelled, her eyes wide. "Gotta go. My train!" To avoid the large crowd, Twilight Sparkle leaped into the air and flew off awkwardly, still not used to take-offs. She hadn't gone far when a pegasus flew in front of her, causing her to stop suddenly and flap desperately to stay aloft.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle. It's an honor to finally meet you. I'm so happy that you came to see the try-outs," the pegasus said confidently, taking the purple pony's hoof and shaking it.

"Oh, Spitfire. It's nice to meet you, too. I'm sorry, but I'm la-"

"If I could have a minute of your time, there's something I'd like to talk to you about," Spitfire interrupted, not noticing Twilight Sparkle's look of worry. "It's just that, I've been trying to contact Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence, and they seem to be ignoring my letters."

"Well, we _all_ are very busy, especially with the-" Twilight Sparkle began, hinting that she was busy as well.

"I realize that, but I was hoping that for the finals in the try-outs, we could have all four of the princesses present and perhaps giving a speech to inspire all our fans and contestants," Spitfire continued on despite Twilight Sparkle's expression. "It would be a huge favor to the Wonderbolts."

"Maybe they'll let Rainbow Dash join them," Spike blurted out what was on his mind.

Twilight Sparkle glared at the dragon before replying to Spitfire. "I'll talk to Celestia, but I can't guarantee anything. Celestia and Luna are very busy, and Cadence might not even be coming out for the ball. But let me see what I can do."

"Thanks. Just let me know if there's anything I can do for you, princess," Spitfire said as she slapped Twilight Sparkle on the back. She didn't even notice the slap almost caused the princess to fall out of the sky.

With the Wonderbolt finally gone, Twilight Sparkle continued to rush to the train station.

"What do you mean Cadence isn't coming out? Haven't they written back?" Spike asked.

The alicorn shook her head. "I forgot to write to them. I'll do it on the train," she said, and then she got a happy look on her face. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Cadence isn't up to traveling. Shining Armor said that she's been feeling sick lately."

Spike scratched his head, wondering why his friend thought that Cadence being sick was a good thing.

* * *

><p>Most ponies in Canterlot were already up and about by the time Princess Luna would wake up. Staying up late to make sure the moon rises and sets prevented her from becoming a morning pony. She didn't mind it very much; the only drawback being that everypony else had had breakfast, and thus leaving her to eat on her own.<p>

But she was used to being alone. Even surrounded by guards and watching over Equestria, she still felt alone.

During the day, she didn't have much to do and often spent her time learning about this modern time. Things had certainly changed a lot since before she was Nightmare Moon, as she found out in her visit to Ponyville. But sometimes she just wandered the castle, reminiscing her past before things became complicated.

As she was passing the library, she did a double take, getting a second look at what was happening within.

Celestia was neck deep in books again. She had stacks and stacks of them surrounding her, half a dozen opened up on a table and a dozen more hovering over her head. The white alicorn would read a little in one book and moved to another, pouring through the information like a fanatic.

Luna once again felt concern for her sister's health and questioned one of the guards that stood outside of the library.

"How long has she been in there?"

"About five hours," the guard answered.

Luna sighed. "And when did she eat last? Has she slept?"

"She hasn't eaten since last night, but did sleep for five hours," the guard answered again, and then gave Luna an almost pleading look.

With a nod, Luna started walking into the library when suddenly she found herself standing on the ceiling.

"What is this?" she cried out, startled, but then her countenance changed to that of irritation. "Discord!"

"You called?" the draconequus inquired sluggishly as he appeared laying down on the ceiling.

Luna glared down (or was it up) at the misshapen creature. "I demand that you release me at once."

Discord raised a gray eyebrow at the princess. "Do you think that wise?"

"I am loosing my patience with you, trickster," Luna growled in a very unprincess-like manner.

"Oh, very well," Discord relented, and snapped his fingers.

Instead of being transported back to the floor like she thought would happen, Luna instead found that gravity had returned to normal. Feeling her body start to fall, the princess flapped her wings frantically, righting herself before hitting the ground. With feathers ruffled and mane out of place, she landed none too gracefully. Once her anxiety went away, she looked up to the ceiling to watch the ex-villain slowly glide down much like a feather.

"Very nice, Princess, although I think your landing needs work," Discord said, and held up a sign that said "7.5" on it.

Luna looked as if she were going to yell at Discord, but then she composed herself. _He wants me to get mad at him. He wants me to loose my composure,_ she told herself. Without saying another word at the draconequus, she walked away from the library and her sister, completely forgetting about Celestia.

After he watched Luna leave, Discord turned his sights on Celestia. He was glad that she figured out his hint, but didn't heed his suggestion that working too hard was bad for her. Not that Discord was concerned; after all, if Celestia wanted bags under her eyes that was her problem. He had distracted Luna from disturbing her sister, so why did it bother him that Celestia was still working.

"Can I help you?"

Discord was interrupted from his personal thoughts by one of Celestia's guards, a young stallion that had just started. What was his name? Starling or something? Not that it made a difference. Discord made it an issue to get everyone's name wrong.

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if anyone else smelled lemons?" Discord asked expectantly.

The soldiers, confused, both shook their heads.

Discord shrugged. "Oh well, my mistake," the draconequus said as he walked off.

The two guards watched the trickster with suspicion until they heard a scream coming from the library. They quickly raced through the doors only to run into a wall of lemons. The citrus fruit caused them to bounce back, juices squirting from their collision. Shock prevented them from moving until lemons started rolling out making way for a bedraggled Princess Celestia. Seeing their monarch in need, the soldiers helped her out of the large pile of fruit.

"DISCORD!" Celestia shouted once she was free of the lemons.

But the trickster was already out of sight, giggling to himself.

* * *

><p>Once Twilight Sparkle had left, both Pinky Pie and Rarity went away to get back to work. That left Rainbow Dash alone to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Fluttershy to give them their individual schedules. The fillies were easy to spot, so the pegasus went to them first. They were still watching the races, cheering on random ponies even if they didn't know them.<p>

The strange little cat that had followed Twilight Sparkle had now attached himself to Rainbow Dash, much to the pegasus's irritation.

"Hey, squirts. I've got your schedule right here," Rainbow Dash told them once the current race was over. "It looks like today you're helping Fluttershy with her cocoons."

"Oh, Sweetie Belle told us about them," Scootaloo said happily. "They sound amazing. I hope we can watch them hatch."

"Wouldn't it be awesome to get a glow-in-the-dark butterfly cutie mark," Apple Bloom pitched in. Her friends agreed.

"Alright, let's get moving. We've got to find Fluttershy first," Rainbow Dash quickly jumped in before the younger ponies could say anything else.

At that, they all whined.

"But we wanted to watch more races," Scootaloo said sadly.

"I know how you feel," Rainbow Dash told them. "But do you remember what Twilight Sparkle said. You agreed to help out, and you need to stick to your word."

The three ponies acquiesced, although Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn't look as dis-heartened as the young pegasus.

After a little searching, they finally found the shy pegasus a distance away from the crowd. Fluttershy was sitting on the ground, her hair covering her face as she looked at the ground. At the sight of the yellow pony, the flame-point siamese cat ran to her and started rubbing against her happily.

"What's wrong, Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle asked with concern. The three fillies had not been there to see the interaction with Flare and the mares.

"Nothing," Fluttershy said softly her hoof softly pawing the grass. "I-is that pegasus gone?"

"Who? Flare? I think so. It's too bad, really. He's such a good pony," Rainbow Dash said in her best lying voice. "It's too bad you left so quickly. I think you would have liked him."

"Uh. . .okay," Fluttershy said, feeling a little doubtful, but didn't want to be rude.

"You guys talked to Flare?" Scootaloo asked with disbelief. "He is so awesome. He was so fast."

Rainbow Dash frowned at Scootaloo's words but shook off the expression to further her plans. "Yeah, we talked to him. In fact, Fluttershy made a big impression on him. He said he wanted to get to know you better."

"He was probably just being nice," Fluttershy whispered, her body hunching over even more.

"No, he _really_ liked you. In fact, I think that you should go on a date with him," Rainbow Dash pressed, her ulterior motives starting to show in her tone.

The fillies gasped at that, and smiled.

"You should totally do it, Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle coaxed.

"I don't know about that," Fluttershy protested softly. "I've never been on a date before."

Apple Bloom jumped in. "That's no reason to not do something. Granny Smith always says that new experiences are good for you."

Fluttershy, as always, felt herself giving in to peer pressure. "Well, I guess if he asks me, I shouldn't be rude." She hoped that she had given herself room to escape. After all, if she never saw him again, he couldn't ask her.

"I'm glad we got that settled. Let's go find Flare," Rainbow Dash said, and started pushing her friend from behind.

Fluttershy gave a little "Eep" as she was forced back into the crowd. But she didn't struggle as the group cut through the gathering of ponies, she was too mortified as they attracted more attention since they were a strange group of ponies followed by the confident cat.

It wasn't hard to find Flare since the crowd of mares surrounding him had doubled. Murderous glares shot their way when Rainbow Dash pushed Fluttershy through the crowd.

"Hey, Flare. Fluttershy wants to talk to you," Rainbow Dash called out.

The ostentatious pony's face brightened up at the name of the yellow pegasus. "Oh, I'm so glad I was able to see you again, Fluttershy," Flare said in a flirty way, and picked up her yellow hoof. "I wanted to apologize if my words were too bold. I realize now that my presence can be a little too intense for someone as delicate as you."

Fluttershy tried to hid her blushing cheeks, and her pose caused her to look even more adorable to Flare.

"It would be my greatest honor if you would see me again tomorrow, and have lunch with me. I would be remiss if I didn't see you again," Flare said, flashing his shiny smile.

Half of his mare fans fainted at his charming smile, the other half glared at Fluttershy for attaining the gallant pegasus's affection.

Fluttershy seemed to be so shocked by the many eyes on her that Rainbow Dash jumped in before she could say anything.

"Fluttershy accepts," the blue pegasus said with a determined smile. "You'll pick her up at noon, sharp. And you better bring her flowers."

"I'd bring her an entire garden if I could, but it could not compare to her," Flare said smoothly. "Then I will see you tomorrow, my lady. My heart will ache until we are reunited. Adieu."

And with that, the stallion walked away as his fans demanded autographs and pictures with him.

Once he was gone, Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in congratulations. "Yes."

The three fillies cheered Fluttershy for being so lucky to date such a cool pony.

Fluttershy suddenly felt very panicky. "But Rainbow Dash, I don't think I'll be a good date," Fluttershy told her friend fretfully. For comfort, she picked up the cat and started petting him.

Rainbow Dash only shrugged her friend's protests off. "Don't worry about it. He really wants to date you, and do you have a really good reason to say no?"

Fluttershy slowly shook his head.

"Do you dislike Flare?" Rainbow Dash asked, knowing how Fluttershy would respond.

"Oh, no. He seemed like a very nice pony. And he was very kind. But I-" Fluttershy tried to explain when she was interrupted.

"But nothing. You can date him at least once. Get to know him a little," Rainbow Dash said, and then her face showed a dark smile. "And you can get all his little secrets from him.

"What?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Yes, all his flying secrets will be mine. Find all his weakness and I'll exploit them," Rainbow Dash laughed to herself as she rubbed her hooves together.

Fluttershy leaned away from her friend with an uncertain look on her face.

* * *

><p>With her ingredients gathered and her potion cooking all night, Zecora prepared the incantation to summon the creature of chaos that had used magic near her home. She didn't expect to use much more of her time with this problem; once the creature was summoned, she'd just send it on its way somewhere else where it couldn't do any damage to anypony.<p>

After one more stir with her wooden spoon, Zecora stepped away from the large caldron. The potion was a neon blue and bubbled oozily. Pink steam rose from the concoction and it smelled of lavender and wet dog.

With everything in place, Zecora pulled out one of the few books she owned. From the book, she read the incantation for the summoning. It was an old spell, and thus in her native tongue. And just like her usual speech, the incantation was in rhyme.

As she read the spell, the liquid in the caldron bubbled quicker and turned into a green and black potion. Light emitted from the potion, casting eerie shadows all over Zecora's hut.

"Now, let's see what has come unbidden to Ponyville," Zecora told herself as she felt the spell starting to work. "Show me what has the power that I feel."

Above the caldron, a shape of an animal appeared in the light, and more and more details came into focus.

From his place in Fluttershy's embrace, Chaos felt the pull of a summoning spell. If he had been at his full power, he could have chosen to ignore it. He remembered in his hay-day, he'd often allowed himself to be summoned for his own amusement. After all, ponies have tried to use him without really knowing how powerful he really was.

But Chaos had to fight the spell long enough to wiggle out of Fluttershy's embrace and disappear into the crowd. After all, the sight of his fading body might caused a stir, and then his identity would be revealed too soon. That would be no fun at all. Once he was sure he wasn't being observed, he allowed the spell to take him.

In a flash, he found himself hovering above a boiling caldron, inside a tiny hut. He turned his blue eyes onto the zebra that stood before the caldron.

"You called?" Chaos asked with a toothy grin, looking unconcerned.

Zecora's eyes widened as she perceived just exactly what she got herself in.

"Speechless already?" Chaos inquired as he swooped out of the summoning spell and stepped on air at shoulder height. "You can't possibly be scared of me."

A strange laugh came out of Zecora's mouth. "A creature of chaos has been summoned here; a trickster, by the looks of your jeer."

Chaos walked around Zecora's head, wrapping his tail around her head like an affectionate pet. "Ah, a zebra who is knowledgeable in magic. You must know the old tongue of your country. You should be able to tell me stories of my brethren since their banishment from Equestria in my time. But not now."

"I will not need to tell you of your kind. To them you will go to find," Zecora said, hoping that her feigned ignorance would make the cat think that she didn't know who he was. "Time to leave, you big nuisance. Go straight away from my presents ."

Chaos jumped from his invisible perch to the floor. From there, he managed to look down at Zecora condescendingly. "Do you think your little play acting will fool me? I've learned trickery from the best." He showed his sharp teeth threateningly. "Are you afraid of me?"

From the moment that the cat filled with chaotic magic arrived, Zecora could sense his power. She could tell that he wasn't at his full strength, but she felt that his magic once could fill the sea. It was her goal to pretend that she was an incompetent spell-castor, and get away as fast as she could. Then she could go to Ponyville and warn Princess Twilight Sparkle. But could she pull it off?

"Afraid of you? Don't make me laugh. Now leave this land before I use my craft," Zecora threatened herself, stamping a hoof to emphasize her words.

Chaos, even more intrigued by the zebra, sniffed around her workshop. "Any cat has a nose ten times better than yours, and even a simple kitten would know that you're trying to deceive me. But why?" Chaos rubbed his face against some of Zecora's potion ingredients. "You want to go for help, don't you?"

Sweat started forming on Zecora's body, and she realized that her efforts were for naught. In panic, she bolted for the door, hoping that she could be faster than Chaos in his weakened state.

"Oh, no you don't," Chaos said lazily, and scratched at the earth. A scattering of chaos magic zipped along the ground in random directions. One large strand made it's way to Zecora's door, beating the zebra. There was a loud crack before Zecora could make it to her door.

Putting all her strength into her legs, Zecora slammed into the door, but it didn't move. A quick peak out the door window, and she saw that a tree had fallen, barely missing her home but blocking her only exit. In fear, Zecora turned to the supernatural feline in her home.

"I can't have you talking to the princesses quite yet," Chaos purred sinisterly. "I still have plans for them. I won't let you ruin my fun."


End file.
